HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY JAPAN

Course objectives

General aims: General History of Japan in the period 1868-1972 Specific aims: at the end of the course, the student – 1) knows the political, social and cultural dynamics of the period under study; 2) is able to contextualize single events within the framework of general or global contemporary history ; 3) is able to deal with critical and interpretative literature on the basis of notions taught by the teacher; 4) can present an argument related to the period under study both orally and in writing, also on the basis of oral exercises; 5) is able to autonomously continue his studies.

Channel 1
MARCO DEL BENE Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
A course on Japanese general history, from the slow decline of the Tokugawa regime during the XVIII century, to the economic boom after the Second World War and the crisis of the Nineties. Particular attention will be paid to the institutional revival of 1868, the process of modernization, and in the period between the two world wars to the democratic opening of the 1920s and the authoritarian involution of the 1930s. Some historiographic issues will be briefly addressed, like the troubled application of European historiographic categories to the case of Japan.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are required to take this course, although it is appropriate for the (LCO) student to have previously completed the course of History of Japan from Origins to the Early Modern Age. A basic knowledge of the world history of the period covered is also appropriate, in order to be able to locate the events of Japan's history in the proper global perspective.
Books
Common reading: F. Gatti, R. Caroli, Storia del Giappone, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2004 (and following editions). From chapter IV (included) to the end of the book. One additional book, chosen among: E.K. Tipton, Il Giappone moderno. Una storia politica e sociale, Einaudi, 2011; J. Halliday, Storia del Giappone contemporaneo, Einaudi, 1975, from Chapter I to Chapter VII (included). Both attending and non-attending students must register on the e-learning page of the course and integrate the study of the above texts with that of the presentations used in class.
Teaching mode
The lesson will be either in presence, at distance or "blended" according to the development of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Frequency
The lesson will be in presence.
Exam mode
Individual oral exam. Each student will be asked questions concerning the readings in the bibliography, and on the pdf versions of the presentations used in class, available on e-learning. Students with specific needs are requested to contact me to agree an alternative exam modality.
Lesson mode
The lesson will be in presence.
  • Lesson code1055546
  • Academic year2024/2025
  • CourseOriental languages and civilizations
  • CurriculumLingua giapponese
  • Year2nd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDL-OR/23
  • CFU6
  • Subject areaDiscipline storiche, geografiche e socio-antropologiche