Transpacific Japan

English-medium elective

This course investigates Japan's transpacific entanglements (including it's "north-south" connections with Asia and its "east-west" connections with the Americas) from the mid-19th century until the present. In this context, students will read a variety of primary and secondary texts which discuss concepts such as nationalism, migration, citizenship, indigeneity and racialization. Focusing on texts produced by minoritized writers in Japan (/the Japanese Empire) as well as members of the Japanese diaspora overseas, students are encouraged to question the self-evidence of the terms “Japan” and the “Japanese."