“ACKNOWLEDGMENTS” in “The Geography of Injustice”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Investigating history around the world and then writing a book puts one in the debt of many. I would like to voice my deep appreciation to this global community because it takes a team to achieve this sort of expansive and expensive research. The kernel of the historical questions that galvanized my interest in pushing forward on this topic emerged from a six-year European Research Council (ERC) grant (2013–2019) that sponsored numerous workshops, international conferences, and travel funds to draw together an excellent cohort of scholars for the project “The Dissolution of the Japanese Empire and the Struggle for Legitimacy in Postwar East Asia, 1945–1965” (DOJSFL 313382). The sad fact that the UK decided to leave the warm embrace of the EU and the financial largesse that it offered scholars darkens my memories of that bright interlude. The subsequent edited volumes that grew from this collaboration were key for me and the group of postdocs who helped flesh out numerous ideas and the larger structures that undergird much of the effort behind this book.
The ERC administrative staff in Brussels were always professional, and Catherine Hirst was a great manager of the project. Matthew Funaiole made wonderful inventions with websites, and postdocs for the projects included Deokhyo Choi, Arnaud Doglia, Casper Wits, Sherzod Muminov, and Andrew Levidis, along with the eighty-five scholars who joined us for workshops at Cambridge and advanced our research over many years. Chen Hao continually kept up the good cheer with pointed questions as did other graduate students Mina Markovic, Ria Roy, Giulia Garbagni, Reyhan Silingar, Aiko Otsuka, Rashaad Eshack, Ko-hang Liao, Mariah Zhong, Rachel Williams, and many others whose names are too numerous to list. Students in my upper-level course on justice and reconciliation in East Asia, on whom I tested out some of the manuscript, offered critical and supportive comments. KJ Chen was a great research assistant, then my postdoc on a related digital humanities project, while remaining a Malbec enthusiast. Jonathan Yeung helped source crucial materials in Hong Kong.
In Cambridge, Nadya Mullen was instrumental in helping me with our auditors, as was Jen Goodwin, who took over the administrative reins after. Mickey Adolphson swooped in as chair of Japanese studies, and that made all the difference in establishing a firm platform from which to work. Freddie Semple has been a stable right hand as executive assistant for the chair. Ria Roy provided great cheer teaching us Korean, and Vicky Young always enthused with a good laugh and support, as did the staff of the FAMES admin office and other colleagues at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. FAMES librarian Francoise Simmons, followed by Miki Jacobs and Japanese specialist librarian Kristin Williams, found important resources, as did Charles Aylmer for Chinese materials. The new Chinese specialist librarian Yan He and her husband Xin Fan have both been helpful with resources and support. The master of Corpus, Christopher Kelly and his partner Shawn, were very generous to celebrate my professorship. Jeff Kurashige provided inspiration sharing my office during his sabbatical. Joshua Batts taught me how to instruct text and translation classes in a whole new way and introduced the phrase “termly day of wonder,” which I will continue to use.
The Japanese branch of my family, Watanabe Kiyoshi and Mizutori Michi, are elements who keep me grounded. Not to mention my partner in life Mami Mizutori, who journeys around the world flying the flag for the UN. In Japan, Wada Hideho remains a model. I have learned about the energy it takes to be a true scholar by following Kawashima Shin, Hosoya Yūichi, Asano Toyomi, among many others, as well as Takeda Kayoko, including the staff at her favorite bar near Rikkyo University. At Waseda University Umemori Naoyuki, Liu Jie, Tsuchiya Reiko, and others offered invited talks and constant feedback, as well as the opportunity to learn more about reconciliation in their massive Ministry of Education–supported research project. Suzuki Norio has been a sounding board for chats on Japan and East Asian history, and the Hitotsubashi University team has been instrumental as well. Over the years, discussions with the always intellectual Ono Hirohito were eye-opening. Ōnuma Yasuaki unfortunately passed away not long after I met him in person; I wish I could have gotten started on his book earlier to translate. Over the years I have learned much from Funabashi Yōichi, as well as from Naraoka Sōichi, Kishi Toshihiko, and Satō Takumi at Kyoto University, and of course Araragi Shinzō. At Osaka University, it was fun and educational to hang out with Rotem Kowner, as it was with Takahashi sensei, and the man who coordinates everyone, Sugita Yoneyuki.
Mike “Shi Chi” Lan is a pillar of support in Taiwan, and it was our conversations in 2011 that got the ball rolling with a number of projects that fed into what later became this book. Hsiao Hui-fen continues to find time to listen to my poor Chinese, and I continue to learn from the scholarship of Hsueh Hua-yuan, Huang Jen-Tzu, and Huang Tzu-chin. Fengjia University staff, He Jiawei and her team, assisted me over the long term with the creation of a related website. The “mole” copied so much in libraries for me as well.
In China, staff of the Shanghai Media Group with whom I filmed three episodes of a documentary series entitled Asia-Pacific War Crimes Trials taught me how to keep audiences interested. Directors Ao Xue, Dai Chengxian, and Xuan Furong, along with producer Chen Yinan, edited great film shots and organized an excellent array of interviews. These interactive moments in China stimulated further discussions into the nature of Sino-Japanese historical attitudes and memory. They were supported by the endearing company of cameraman Shen Jiajun, who was a master coordinator of choosing where to dine for every meal, and his colleague Zhang “Kung Fu Panda” Jun. The quiet but dependable lighting technician Huang Shanxiang kept us out of the shadows. Chang Chihyun, Hou Yanbo, Sun Yi, and Yan Haijian provided insights concerning my digital humanities websites and statistical calculations, while Liu Tong and Cheng Zhaoqi were munificent with their time and support at the Center for the Study of the Tokyo Trial at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
A shout-out to Haiyan Lee, Matthew Shores, Rana Mitter, and Yukiko Koga, among many others, for their comments and support. This includes my own father, who worked as assiduously on his autobiography while writing children’s books into his nineties. Dad, you are a model for us all in how to reinvent yourself even decades after retirement. I received much feedback on early lackluster drafts and good advice from a number of people. Park Yuha, Sandra Wilson, James Llewelyn, and Robert Cribb shared their opinions, while Amy King, and Chuck Krauss from the Wilson Center, generously shared archives. Kerstin von Lingen has been exceptionally pointed in our discussions as we examine the issues from different angles. Sarah Kovner and Mickey Adolphson offered critical insights at draft stages, and David Chang saved me from numerous embarrassing blunders of fact. A lovely invitation to deliver a keynote in Israel was a highlight as were questions from Miki Bul, Nissim Otmazgim, and others. Reut Harari at Tel Aviv University and Danny Orbach at Hebrew University posed keen questions that got me thinking.
Tahirih Lee and Anika Culver at Florida State University offered a path into Chinese law. Jason Webb and Lori Meeks hosted a lovely evening at USC, while Jeremy Yellen invited me for a few days during which I was able to access the Center for China Studies at Chinese University Hong Kong, and offered a forum for a talk. Kelin Michael took scans of important archives at the libraries of Emory University for research purposes. An invitation to Stanford to discuss Carter Eckert’s celebrated book on Park Chung-hee put me in contact with many scholars on the West Coast. Archival investigations but also joining a research project at the Hoover Institute with Ueda “Kay” Kaoru were key to shaping how this book opens and connects the prewar and postwar periods. Lin Hsiao-ting kindly invited me to join his group, which was sadly stymied by the pandemic. I did finally manage to make it to the Hoover archives, and we once again met in person.
The staff of the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Studies, where I was a visiting fellow from 2019 to 2020, was exceedingly supportive and permitted me the time and space to launch the writing of this book. The principal, Christina Garsten, went beyond the call of duty to support interaction. Hazem Kandil tried to explain how to write a trade book, at which I sadly failed. Ewan Jones is still the funniest Cambridge colleague, though I should not admit that in public. Merja Polvinen made us all fans of Finnish culture, while Boris Lanin was very adroit in regaling us with stories of his past. Unfortunately, the pandemic shortened these budding relationships, but the start was great indeed.
Numerous talks in many venues since early 2016 were constructive in helping me to sketch out my mental map of what I was digging into. I thank those many individuals who invited me and shared their time and banquet tables. There are many more who should be noted, but at some point I must open the starting chapters of the book and no longer delay. This includes my ever-expanding family of nieces and nephews, along with grand nieces and grand nephews, nieces-in-law and nephews-in-law in both Israel and the United States. Those who are not specifically mentioned still know they were of great assistance; we shall meet in the future once more since scholarship knows no end. I look forward to asking for support again as I embark on the next project.
We use cookies to analyze our traffic. Please decide if you are willing to accept cookies from our website. You can change this setting anytime in Privacy Settings.