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Engineering Japanese Settler Colonialism in Hokkaido : A Postcolonial Reevaluation of William Wheeler’s Work for the Kaitakushi

Hennessey, John LU (2018) In Asia in Focus 6(6). p.2-13
Abstract
In 1876, the Kaitakushi, the Japanese government agency responsible for the settlement of the northern island of Hokkaido, hired three Americans from Massachusetts Agricultural College: William Smith Clark, William Wheeler and David Pearce Penhallow. Their task was to establish a comparable institution in Hokkaido, Sapporo Agricultural College, that would spread American-style scientific agriculture among new settlers. Although recent historical research has highlighted the colonial nature of the modern settlement of Hokkaido and other American advisors’ role in transmitting modern technologies of settler colonialism, the tenure of these three professors has never been examined from a postcolonial perspective. This article will investigate... (More)
In 1876, the Kaitakushi, the Japanese government agency responsible for the settlement of the northern island of Hokkaido, hired three Americans from Massachusetts Agricultural College: William Smith Clark, William Wheeler and David Pearce Penhallow. Their task was to establish a comparable institution in Hokkaido, Sapporo Agricultural College, that would spread American-style scientific agriculture among new settlers. Although recent historical research has highlighted the colonial nature of the modern settlement of Hokkaido and other American advisors’ role in transmitting modern technologies of settler colonialism, the tenure of these three professors has never been examined from a postcolonial perspective. This article will investigate the writings of engineer William Wheeler, who served as president of the new college for several years and advised the Kaitakushi on numerous infrastructure projects, to look for clues about his attitudes towards and role in Japanese settler colonialism in Hokkaido. Textual evidence reveals Wheeler’s awareness of and complicity in this undertaking. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
William Wheeler, Sapporo Agricultural College, Hokkaido, settler colonialism, Kaitakushi
in
Asia in Focus
volume
6
issue
6
pages
11 pages
publisher
Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS)
ISSN
2446-0001
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
f39d63a5-cc6b-4ac3-9dc0-ad61f3a2c136
alternative location
https://tidsskrift.dk/asiainfocus/article/view/114652
date added to LUP
2021-06-29 11:59:35
date last changed
2021-07-02 16:31:09
@article{f39d63a5-cc6b-4ac3-9dc0-ad61f3a2c136,
  abstract     = {{In 1876, the Kaitakushi, the Japanese government agency responsible for the settlement of the northern island of Hokkaido, hired three Americans from Massachusetts Agricultural College: William Smith Clark, William Wheeler and David Pearce Penhallow. Their task was to establish a comparable institution in Hokkaido, Sapporo Agricultural College, that would spread American-style scientific agriculture among new settlers. Although recent historical research has highlighted the colonial nature of the modern settlement of Hokkaido and other American advisors’ role in transmitting modern technologies of settler colonialism, the tenure of these three professors has never been examined from a postcolonial perspective. This article will investigate the writings of engineer William Wheeler, who served as president of the new college for several years and advised the Kaitakushi on numerous infrastructure projects, to look for clues about his attitudes towards and role in Japanese settler colonialism in Hokkaido. Textual evidence reveals Wheeler’s awareness of and complicity in this undertaking.}},
  author       = {{Hennessey, John}},
  issn         = {{2446-0001}},
  keywords     = {{William Wheeler; Sapporo Agricultural College; Hokkaido; settler colonialism; Kaitakushi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{2--13}},
  publisher    = {{Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS)}},
  series       = {{Asia in Focus}},
  title        = {{Engineering Japanese Settler Colonialism in Hokkaido : A Postcolonial Reevaluation of William Wheeler’s Work for the Kaitakushi}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/99779409/AIF_ISSUE6_Final_Hennessey.pdf}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}