泛亞主義

This course will examine the dynamic history of the concept of Asia and pan-Asianism movements in the 20th century, while thinking of pan-Asianists as precursors to postcolonial theory. Postcolonialism has famously attempted to de-center Western hegemony and look at areas in the non-West that could perhaps provide alternatives. We will understand pan-Asianism as emerging three interconnected waves. The first being the early 20th century, the second the years surrounding World War II and finally the period starting in the 1990s and continuing to the present. In each of these periods, proponents of Asianism have had differing agendas, but we must understand the context for the political projects associated with Asianism in relation to the global structural transformations taking place in each of these periods. In the first group, we will discuss works related to Zhang Taiyan, Okakura Tenshin, Sun Yat-sen, and others. Then we will move to a period which is more diverse, including conservatives such as ?kawa Sh?mei, who attempted to formulate a vision of the Japanese empire based on inspiration from Asian philosophies, including Confucianism and Islam and radical thinkers in the post-World-War II period. There is obviously an important break within this second wave, which coalesces around the World War II. After all, ?kawa famously was a chief propagandist in the World War II and was a tried as a Class A War Criminal. Japan’s involvement in the War would be a deep wound that post-War pan-Asianism would have to confront. Facing this wound, Takeuchi Yoshimi, the postwar Japanese public intellectual, reads pan-Asianism in light of Mao’s China and Third Worldism. This would become a trend throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. In this context, the concept of Pan-Asianism must be studied together with the rise and fall of the ideal of Third World unity. With respect to the third and most recent wave of Pan-Asianism, we will look at debates about East-Asian values and the attempts of intellectuals from East and South Asia to formulate a new concept of Asia after the huge global transformations associated with fall of the Soviet Bloc. This later project must be understood in relation to the emergence of postcolonialism and its continued confrontation with Marxism. Key figures in this latest movement include the Taiwanese scholar and activist Kuan-hsing Chen and the Chinese “new leftist”, Wang Hui, both of whom deal with Marxism in their own ways. Given developments in recent years, we must also think about this latest wave of pan-Asianism in terms of the rise of China and policies, such as “one belt, one road.” The readings for the works will include translation of original texts by pan-Asianists where possible, while also engaging with postcolonial and Marxist theory. The class will be a seminar that will meet for 18 hours and consist of short lectures, student-presentations and discussion focusing on the reading. We will meet three times a week and consequently the whole course will take two weeks. There will be a total of six classes, each meeting will be for three hours.