Nationalism and Ethnicity in the Modern Japanese Context: Translation and Ideology in the late 19th Century

Abstract

The world is experiencing globalization rapidly and has become deeply interdependent. Nevertheless, we see an increasing awareness of nationalism and ethnicity all over the world. Nationalism and ethnicity are two different concepts. However, nationalism may not be dissociated from ethnicity; rather, it may develop in close association with ethnicity through the process of modernization. Japan’s modernization began with the Meiji Restoration in 1868, which led to its transformation from a feudal society into a modern nation that drew on Western states as its model. This process involved a struggle to translate Western ideas, such as «nation» and «nationalism.» This paper focuses on the late 19th century which prompted the formation of a Japanese national identity and an upsurge in nationalism, and explores the ways that translation practices and ideological aspects of the period were interrelated to shape Japanese nationalism at that time.