Abstract

Transpacific Visions: Connected Histories of the Pacific Across North and South 

In this seminar, my talk will be about a book to be published by Lexington in 2021. (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793621320/Transpacific-Visions-Connected-Histories-of-the-Pacific-across-North-and-South).

While transatlantic history has been much investigated, mainly by investigating transatlantic trade networks and migration, its counterpart, transpacific history, has only gradually been developed. A key inquiry of transpacific history has been northern Hemisphere-centric connections, basically US-Asian connections: i.e., between one hegemonic western country and Asian countries, either as colonies, trust territories or independent countries (e.g. Hoskins & Nguyen 2014). However, there is more to be explained in the transpacific space beyond such a Northern Hemisphere-centric perspective.

This book argues that transpacific history cannot be comprehended without including “vertical” connections; namely, those between the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere. It explores such connections by uncovering small histories of ordinary people’s attempts at événements which they undertake by means of uneven, unlevel, and multidirectional mobilities. In this way, this book goes beyond the usual notion of transpacific history as a matter of Northern Hemisphere-centric connections and enables us to imagine a transpacific space as a more dynamic and multi-faceted world of human mobilities and connections. By exploring cases whose actors include soldiers, missionaries, colonial administrators, journalists, essayists, and artists, the book highlights the significance of "vertical" perspectives in understanding complex histories of the region.

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                                                                    To join the seminar, please contact with the organizer:

 

                                                                    Shigeru Akita

                                                                    akita＠let.osaka-u.ac.jp

                                                                  （Please replace the double-byte @ with its

                                                                     single-byte equivalent）

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