January 14, 2015/ 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Bunche Hall Room 6275

Colloquium: Matsumoto Jiichiro and the question of war responsibility

Presentation by Ian Neary, University of Oxford

Matsumoto Jiichiro is the iconic figure of the Buraku Liberation Movement. He was one of, and for much of the time, the leader of the movement from its foundation in the early 1920s until his death in 1966. Not surprisingly perhaps he also continued to play a leading role within Buraku communities from the late 1930s up to August 1945. This paper will seek to sketch out some dimensions of his activities during wartime and open a discussion about how we can or should evaluate them.

Ian Neary is the head of the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies at Oxford University, where he is a faculty member of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies. His research focuses on Japanese political and social history in the twentieth century, specifically the experiences of Buraku communities in the process of industrialization and modernization. He has also worked on industrial policy, with a focus on the pharmaceutical industry, on broader issues relating to human rights in East Asia and contemporary Japanese politics. 

Free and open to the public



Download file: matsumotoflyer-ki-bty.pdf

Sponsor(s): Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, Oxford Nissan Institute