David Thackeray (University of Exeter) and Mahito Takeuchi (Nihon University)

Last month I (David) had the pleasure of speaking at a research workshop held at Nihon University as part of an ongoing British World histories project led by Prof. Mahito Takeuchi, the first of its kind in Japan. The Tokyo and Kansai regions play host to a thriving cluster of scholars working in this field, several of whom will contribute to the project. Building on existing work which has focused on the role of networks in the development of British World ties, the project will pay particular attention to issues of racism and unequal power relations, which have sometimes been elided in existing works.

The workshop was the first of its kind that the research group have held since the pandemic. Several of the earlier English-language publications of the research group and their guests are collected here. David Thackeray explored the Empire/ Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, an organisation which following its founding in 1911 sought to promote the ‘British World’ as a cohesive political and economic community, rooted in ideas of racial kinship and shared constitutional tradition. However, the Parliamentary Association struggled to reconcile its historical focus on informal co-operation with the political realities of a Commonwealth being reshaped by decolonisation and waned in influence after 1950. Prof. Hilary Carey (University of Bristol) discussed the development of Imperial Church Congresses and their relationship with the British World. These congresses brought together tens of thousands of delegates from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. While London initially played a central role in the development of this spiritual empire America became increasingly central to the advance of Evangelicalism as a global movement. Although there were significant differences between denominations such congresses promoted ideas of a united Anglosphere.

Participants in the wider project include its Principal Investigator Prof. Mahito Takeuchi (Nihon University), who will explore how missionaries sought to promote ‘Britishness’ as an identity of imperial unity in the colonial world. Prof. Shunsuke Katsuta (University of Tokyo) examines the development of Unionist identities in Britain and Ireland in the wider context of great power rivalries. Prof. Masahiro Katoh (Meijo University) considers the development of Scottish diaspora and conflicts between Britishness and Scottish identities. Prof. Yuto Ishibashi (Chuo University) analyses the role of time discipline in the development of economic and military collaboration through the formation of colonial observatory networks. Prof. Tomoari Matsunaga (Yokohama National University) explores the evolution of proposals for commercial union via imperial preference with attention to the complex relationship between emotional and economic ties. Prof. Jun Fukushi (Tokyo Keizai University) also researches debates about imperial tariffs, focusing on Canadian perspectives on this question, specifically the policies of Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. Dr. Yuhei Hasegawa (Toyo University) studies British imperial policy from the perspective of Leo Amery, one of the leading Conservative imperialists for much of the first half of the twentieth century. Prof. Hiroyuki Ogawa (University of Tokyo) evaluates the debate on imperial defence during the era of evolution from British Empire to Commonwealth. Emeritus Prof. Shoichi Watanabe (Tohoku Gakuin University) investigates British military aid towards India and the declining British presence in South Asia after independence. Emeritus Prof. Katsuhiko Yokoi (Meiji University) will review the process of India’s military independence following decolonisation. Masahito Ejima (Postgraduate Student, Nihon University) studies the publishing industry in British India, specifically focusing on scientific and technical publications. Yuna Nagata (Postgradutate Student, Nihon University) researches how imperialist assimilation policies based on gender norms were justified and implemented through discourses of civilisation, focusing on Australia’s ‘Stolen Generations’. Ako Imanishi (Postgraduate Student, Nihon University) is conducting research on the activities of the British and Foreign Bible Society, focusing specifically on Japan.

The project runs until 2029 and will result in various outputs to be published in both English and Japanese. We look forward to keeping you updated on its progress.