Japanese History to 1600

Catalog description

Introduction to premodern Japanese history and a survey of its sources and methods. Topics covered include state formation, the role of international relations and conflict in the first articulations of Japanese identity, the breakdown of a Chinese-style imperial bureaucracy in the face of military from the provinces, technological and cultural developments, and the first direct encounters with European traders and missionaries, as well as the role of family, religion, economic production, and the environment in Japanese history. The use of material and archeological evidence in studying prehistory, and the critical interpretation of premodern chronicles, as historical methods will be taught. Offered regularly.