A marvel of history. Japan as seen by Elisée Reclus and Léon Metchnikoff.
Sorbonne| N° d'inventaire | 23808 |
| Format | 16 x 24 |
| Détails | 214 p. paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9791035106096 |
In the mid-19th century, Japan was undergoing intense upheaval. Feudalism was abolished, and a modern nation-state was built with the emperor returning to prominence. Was this a monarchical restoration or a revolution?
Two anarchist geographers, companions of Bakunin, provide an original answer to this question, especially if we compare it to the vision of other visitors to Japan who, at that time, were essentially diplomats, soldiers, traders, missionaries or often conservative travelers.
One, Léon Metchnikoff (1838-1888), was invited to Tokyo by the leaders of the new regime because of his multilingual talents and his Garibaldian background. The other, Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), benefited from his friend's knowledge, among many other resources, to write the volume devoted to Japan and East Asia in his monumental Nouvelle géographie universelle, and then certain passages of L'Homme et la Terre, without ever visiting the country himself.
In his analysis of Meiji Japan, Élisée Reclus addresses sensitive issues such as "races," "civilizations," and the "yellow peril," and offers an analysis often punctuated by visionary remarks. Free from any dogmatic approach and without class or racial prejudice, he places Japan, and more broadly the Far East, in a global geopolitical and metageographical framework that transcends the classic East-West dichotomy.
In the mid-19th century, Japan was undergoing intense upheaval. Feudalism was abolished, and a modern nation-state was built with the emperor returning to prominence. Was this a monarchical restoration or a revolution?
Two anarchist geographers, companions of Bakunin, provide an original answer to this question, especially if we compare it to the vision of other visitors to Japan who, at that time, were essentially diplomats, soldiers, traders, missionaries or often conservative travelers.
One, Léon Metchnikoff (1838-1888), was invited to Tokyo by the leaders of the new regime because of his multilingual talents and his Garibaldian background. The other, Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), benefited from his friend's knowledge, among many other resources, to write the volume devoted to Japan and East Asia in his monumental Nouvelle géographie universelle, and then certain passages of L'Homme et la Terre, without ever visiting the country himself.
In his analysis of Meiji Japan, Élisée Reclus addresses sensitive issues such as "races," "civilizations," and the "yellow peril," and offers an analysis often punctuated by visionary remarks. Free from any dogmatic approach and without class or racial prejudice, he places Japan, and more broadly the Far East, in a global geopolitical and metageographical framework that transcends the classic East-West dichotomy.