INTERVIEW/ Andrew Gordon: 'Modern girls' had a major impact on society
12/04/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The following are excerpts from an interview with Andrew Gordon, a Harvard University professor of history, in which he was asked to identify the 10 biggest incidents in modern and contemporary history in East Asia. This article complements the monthly series "Impact of History--150 years in East Asia."
* * *
The 10 major incidents I chose are the:
1. First Opium War (1840-42), arrival of the Black Ships (1853-54) and the Ganghwa Island Incident (1875)
2. Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864), Yonaoshi Undo (social reform movement; 1850s to 1880s) and Donghak Peasant Revolution (1894)
3. Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War (1894-1905)
4. Korea's March 1 Movement and China's May 4 Movement (both 1919)
5. Emergence of the Japanese "modern girl" (1925)
6. Manchurian (Mukden) Incident and the establishment of Manchukuo (1931-1932)
7. Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945)
8. U.S. occupation of Japan (1945-1952), establishment of the People's Republic of China (1949) and the Korean War (1950-1953)
9. Normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea (1965), between Japan and China (1972) and between China and South Korea (1992)
10. Rapid economic growth in Japan, South Korea and China
I have lumped together a number of incidents and counted them as 10 sets of major incidents because I believe it provides deeper insight. Some individual incidents occurred independently, but they are interrelated in the context of regional and global history. In addition to noting wars and political incidents, I will also shed light on phenomena that show changes in social structure.
The First Opium War and the arrival of the Black Ships are particularly import!ant in that they marked the process of East Asia's incorporation to the global system by Western powers both in terms of economy and politics.
The fact that Japan also furthered this integration by force from as early as in 1875 with the Ganghwa Island Incident is also inseparable from the previous events.
The Taiping Rebellion in China, the Yonaoshi movement in Japan and the Donghak Peasant Revolutionin Korea are different in scale and, it may seem unreasonable to group them together. But all three incidents show that the search for a new order had reached rural areas in these countries and had an impact on ordinary citizens. They also share the characteristic of mixing traditional methods of protest versus authorities with new Western ideologies and forms of action.
The Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War should be treated as a set of developments spanning a decade during which a new geopolitical and economic order was formed by Japanese imperialism.
Likewise, the March 1 Movement in Korea and the May 4 Movement in China should be treated as a set of developments that led to moves for self-determination against Japanese supremacy.
Incidentally, when we covered these two movements in a graduate seminar at my university, a Korean-American student surprised me by asking me, "Professor, what is the May 4 Movement?"
Then a Chinese-American student surprised me by asking what the March 1 Movement was about. These innocent questions drove home to me the import!ance of grasping (and teaching) history in a broader context as suggested by these linked events.
Compared to wars or the rise and fall of empires, the emergence of the moga (modern girl) may seem trivial. But in the context of social history, it is not. The idea of the modern girl was preceded by the idea that a woman should be a good wife and a wise mother. With the moga came the women's liberation movement. All three were common worldwide and influenced each other.
The modern girl appeared almost simultaneously across the world. As new urban dwellers, women said to be modern girls actively bought products, changed fashions and threw men into confusion by starting to speak out both culturally and politically.
The debate over the modern girl also has something in common with recent arguments concerning "parasite singles," people who live with their parents until their late 20s or early 30s in order to enjoy a carefree and comfortable life.
The Manchurian Incident and the foundation of Manchukuo are very import!ant developments that gave rise to new tensions between Japan, China and Russia. The incident also paved the way for an all-out war and the greatest tragedy in Asia in the 20th century. The Asia-Pacific War was not only a tragedy of humankind but also a significant event that marked "the beginning of the end" of imperialism in Asia.
As events in the years following the war, the U.S. occupation of Japan, the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the Korean War are interrelated. Each one drastically changed the respective countries and accelerated changes already taking place beneath the surface, leading to the Cold War in Asia and a new post-colonial set of tensions and confrontation.
The process of normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan, China and South Korea under the Cold War gave shape to a delicate framework of economic and political integration in Asia.
But when we look at recent developments, we see that the problems of the past remain unsettled.
Economic advances in Japan during the 1950s, in South Korea during the 1960s and in China during the 1980s together rank as the most significant development in the economic history of the 20th century. Recently, economic integration has spread further and is advancing regionally and globally.
* * *
The author became a Harvard University professor in 1995. His books include "A Modern History of Japan" and other titles. He recently published "Nihon-jin ga shiranai Matsuzaka Meja Kakumei" (The unknown story of Matsuzaka's Major League revolution) in Japanese only.(IHT/Asahi: December 4,2007)
12/04/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The following are excerpts from an interview with Andrew Gordon, a Harvard University professor of history, in which he was asked to identify the 10 biggest incidents in modern and contemporary history in East Asia. This article complements the monthly series "Impact of History--150 years in East Asia."
* * *
The 10 major incidents I chose are the:
1. First Opium War (1840-42), arrival of the Black Ships (1853-54) and the Ganghwa Island Incident (1875)
2. Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864), Yonaoshi Undo (social reform movement; 1850s to 1880s) and Donghak Peasant Revolution (1894)
3. Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War (1894-1905)
4. Korea's March 1 Movement and China's May 4 Movement (both 1919)
5. Emergence of the Japanese "modern girl" (1925)
6. Manchurian (Mukden) Incident and the establishment of Manchukuo (1931-1932)
7. Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945)
8. U.S. occupation of Japan (1945-1952), establishment of the People's Republic of China (1949) and the Korean War (1950-1953)
9. Normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea (1965), between Japan and China (1972) and between China and South Korea (1992)
10. Rapid economic growth in Japan, South Korea and China
I have lumped together a number of incidents and counted them as 10 sets of major incidents because I believe it provides deeper insight. Some individual incidents occurred independently, but they are interrelated in the context of regional and global history. In addition to noting wars and political incidents, I will also shed light on phenomena that show changes in social structure.
The First Opium War and the arrival of the Black Ships are particularly import!ant in that they marked the process of East Asia's incorporation to the global system by Western powers both in terms of economy and politics.
The fact that Japan also furthered this integration by force from as early as in 1875 with the Ganghwa Island Incident is also inseparable from the previous events.
The Taiping Rebellion in China, the Yonaoshi movement in Japan and the Donghak Peasant Revolutionin Korea are different in scale and, it may seem unreasonable to group them together. But all three incidents show that the search for a new order had reached rural areas in these countries and had an impact on ordinary citizens. They also share the characteristic of mixing traditional methods of protest versus authorities with new Western ideologies and forms of action.
The Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War should be treated as a set of developments spanning a decade during which a new geopolitical and economic order was formed by Japanese imperialism.
Likewise, the March 1 Movement in Korea and the May 4 Movement in China should be treated as a set of developments that led to moves for self-determination against Japanese supremacy.
Incidentally, when we covered these two movements in a graduate seminar at my university, a Korean-American student surprised me by asking me, "Professor, what is the May 4 Movement?"
Then a Chinese-American student surprised me by asking what the March 1 Movement was about. These innocent questions drove home to me the import!ance of grasping (and teaching) history in a broader context as suggested by these linked events.
Compared to wars or the rise and fall of empires, the emergence of the moga (modern girl) may seem trivial. But in the context of social history, it is not. The idea of the modern girl was preceded by the idea that a woman should be a good wife and a wise mother. With the moga came the women's liberation movement. All three were common worldwide and influenced each other.
The modern girl appeared almost simultaneously across the world. As new urban dwellers, women said to be modern girls actively bought products, changed fashions and threw men into confusion by starting to speak out both culturally and politically.
The debate over the modern girl also has something in common with recent arguments concerning "parasite singles," people who live with their parents until their late 20s or early 30s in order to enjoy a carefree and comfortable life.
The Manchurian Incident and the foundation of Manchukuo are very import!ant developments that gave rise to new tensions between Japan, China and Russia. The incident also paved the way for an all-out war and the greatest tragedy in Asia in the 20th century. The Asia-Pacific War was not only a tragedy of humankind but also a significant event that marked "the beginning of the end" of imperialism in Asia.
As events in the years following the war, the U.S. occupation of Japan, the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the Korean War are interrelated. Each one drastically changed the respective countries and accelerated changes already taking place beneath the surface, leading to the Cold War in Asia and a new post-colonial set of tensions and confrontation.
The process of normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan, China and South Korea under the Cold War gave shape to a delicate framework of economic and political integration in Asia.
But when we look at recent developments, we see that the problems of the past remain unsettled.
Economic advances in Japan during the 1950s, in South Korea during the 1960s and in China during the 1980s together rank as the most significant development in the economic history of the 20th century. Recently, economic integration has spread further and is advancing regionally and globally.
* * *
The author became a Harvard University professor in 1995. His books include "A Modern History of Japan" and other titles. He recently published "Nihon-jin ga shiranai Matsuzaka Meja Kakumei" (The unknown story of Matsuzaka's Major League revolution) in Japanese only.(IHT/Asahi: December 4,2007)