Japanese Empire

Catalog description

(PP,G) Japan is the only non-Western power to build an expansive colonial empire in the age of imperialism. This course examines Japan's empire from the colonization of Taiwan in 1895 through the devastation of World War II and its aftermath. Emphasis will be placed on the ways in which everyday people experienced Japanese imperialism in Japan and in the colonies during times of war and times of peace. Course participants will also analyze legacies and memories of Japanese imperialism, from the discriminatory treatment of people of Korean descent in post-war Japan to the neo-nationalist views expressed in the manga On War.