The public is invited to the following lecture at the OAG House auditorium (the German Cultural Center). A 1,000 yen donation from non-members would be appreciated, but is not required.
The period of the so-called "Unequal Treaties" (1858-1899) is portrayed as one of Japanese impotence and national humiliation vis-vis the power of the West. In this special lecture, offered in addition to the Asiatic Society's regular monthly program, Mr. Auslin will dispute this view, asserting that in this period Japanese and Westerners forged a dynamic relationship in which Japan played an active, sometimes dominant role. In addition to covering the formal diplomacy of treaty relations, Mr. Auslin will also explain how the Asiatic Society of Japan, active since 1872, played a part in creating understanding between Japanese and Western culture, a role that the Society continues to play today.
Michael Auslin is a Fulbright Graduate Research Fellow at the Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo, and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Material submitted by Dr. Joshua Dale.
Return to the ASJ 1998 lecture schedule