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Analytical Framework

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Book cover Japanese Geopolitics and the Western Imagination

Part of the book series: Critical Security Studies in the Global South ((CSSGS))

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Abstract

This chapter develops a framework of analysis by identifying a method of inquiry in the first half of the last century in Japan. It first visits the work of Kitarō Nishida and his theory of place to demonstrate what place looked like in Japan during the period. Then his thought is compared to the Western idea of space and place. In doing so, it argues that, contrary to Cartesian objectivism, in Japan, where people have incessantly imported political theory since the seventh century, the subjectivity and context-dependency of knowledge has been valued more. It aims to achieve two seemingly contradictory tasks: while demonstrating how spatial difference is fundamental, it still seeks for a common ground of analysis.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Quoted from M. Abe and C. Ives’ English translation (1990).

  2. 2.

    John Krummel translated this essay into English in 2012. The ensuing quote is from Krummel’s translation.

  3. 3.

    Here Nishida uses the Chinese character “者,” which in itself means “person.” However, the sound mono in Japanese also means “thing.” This is why mono should be better understood as things in general, not just humans.

  4. 4.

    In Nishida’s original, it is expressed as “nani ni oite.” The literal translation is “upon what,” in which the emphasis is on “at.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Atsuko Watanabe

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Watanabe, A. (2019). Analytical Framework. In: Japanese Geopolitics and the Western Imagination. Critical Security Studies in the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04399-5_4

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