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Modernity, Empire and Tensions: Japan in the 19th and 20th Century
Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:31:13
Abstract
The course offers an introduction to the history of modern Japan from the 19th century to the present and focuses key topics including the Meiji-Restoration, colonialism, and the occupation period. It explores the modern history of Japan in particular through perspectives of race, class, gender, and technology.
Objective
The course imparts and deepens contextual knowledge about modern Japan and enables students to establish global connections and recognize border-crossing historical similarities and differences. Students acquire cultural and linguistic skills through intensive study of modern Japan. By critically examining modern history, modern technology, the experience of modernity in Japan, and established stereotypes about Japan, the seminar also promotes reflective skills regarding the significance and potential for conflict of modernity in a non-Western region and from a non-European perspective.
Content
The course offers an introduction to the history of modern Japan from the 19th century to the present day. It covers key topics such as the Meiji Restoration, Japan's confrontation with the “West,” Japanese colonialism, Japan's modern wars, and the “long postwar period” during the Cold War. By way of reading and discussing essential research literature, questions, problems, and perspectives in the historiography of modern Japan will be raised and elaborated. A particular focus is on the analytical categories of race, class, and gender, as well as the history of technology in Japan, from railways and lighthouses to semiconductors and the entertainment industry. This places the history of modern Japan in a global historical context in order to establish connections to the history of other regions of the world. And it enables to analyze certain ideas and images of “Japan” and “Asia” and to critically examine their construction and lines of conflict.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 35
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Modernity, Empire and Tensions: Japan in the 19th and 20th Century |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Wissenschaft im Kontext (Science in Perspective) (In Kursen aus dem Programm “Wissenschaft im Kontext” lernen Studierende, die MINT Fächer der ETH aus der Perspektive der Geistes-, Sozial- und Staatswissenschaften zu reflektieren. Nur die in diesem Abschnitt aufgelisteten Fächer können als "Wissenschaft im Kontext" angerechnet werden.)
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Typ A: Förderung allgemeiner Reflexionskompetenz (WiK-Kurse werden für Bachelorstudierende nach dem ersten Studienjahr sowie für alle Masterstudierende und Doktorierende empfohlen. Alle WiK-Kurse sind in Typ A gelistet. Bei den unter Typ B aufgeführten Kursen handelt es sich lediglich um Belegungsempfehlungen für bestimmte Departemente.)
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