European/Japanese Colonialisms and 'Modernity' : Towards the Construction of an Holistic Paradigm for Comparative Research

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Our project reexamined the colonial histories of both the Japanese and European empires (the British, French, Dutch, Spanish, and German) from a comparative perspective through analyzing specific themes concerning 'modernity'. Duly aware of both the necessity and danger of the vary act to 'compare', the project sought to pursue the possible terms and frames of comparison. The project brought together a range of different colonial experiences, and conducted an holistic analysis of them. Of particular importance was the complex relationship of these experiences to modern institutions and ideas such as sanitation, bureaucracy, 'race', and education. As a result, we came to notice a growing importance attached by contemporary scholars to the notion of 'colonial modernity'. We tried to clarify the notion's scope and limits, considering in detail their implications for collaborative comparative research. Second, but no less importantly, we found that 'comparative studies of colonialism' were themselves part and parcel of the imperial formations in the past. Empire-states themselves practiced comparison both to claim their individuality and to share across imperial boundaries the knowledge / skills of colonial governance. Therefore, what is required of us scholars of colonialism today is to engage in comparison, but with a view to transcending it by problematising its imperial trajectories in the past and its lingering relevance to our post-colonial present.