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HIS 372 / 572,
THE HISTORY OF EARLY MODERN JAPAN

JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT SEVEN
In what specific ways does the heritage of the Early Modern Period continue to influence life in Japan after 1868, providing the basis upon which the modernization process has continued to move forward since the middle of the last century?
 
To what degree is Meiji Period leadership between 1868 and 1912 responsible for the maintainance of Japan's traditional heritage? To what degree did they attempt instead to purposefully dismantle the past in pursuit of a "westernized" modernity? How was "tradition" utilized in this quest for "civilization and enlightenment"?
 
How important is "tradition" as the premise upon which post-war Japan has been rebuilt since 1945? To what degree has Japan's early modern heritage been recast to justify current directions in Japanese life? [In your response here, consider particularly the insights offerred in Carol Gluck's article, "The Invention of Edo".]
 
Based on your understanding and appreciation of the modernization process at work in Japan since 1600, what directions do you predict Japanese culture and civilization will take in the first few decades of the new millenium? How, specifically, will these movements reflect the process of change and development at work within the context of the maintainance of tradition characteristic of Japanese history since 1600?

 
This site has been prepared by Lee A. Makela (l.makela@csuohio.edu) for the use of students at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, who are enrolled in HIS 372/572, The History of Early Modern Japan during the Spring Semester of the 2007 - 2008 Academic Year; please contact him with any comments.  
 Last revised: January 15, 2008