明治期 아시아주의의 ‘아시아’像

Image of Asia in Meiji Asianism

The discourse on Asia is essential in understanding modem Japan. In this study, I attempted to shed light on Japan’s discourse on Asia by analyzing the image of Asia in Meiji Asianism. In particular, I focused on the dual. nature of Alsia in the narratives of Asianism. On the one hand, I found that Asianism considered Asia as a communal entity, emphasizing its geographical, racial, and/or cultural unity. In other words, it saw Asia in terms of unity. On the other hand, Asianism contained the dichotomy of Japan and Asia Despite the narratives of Asian unity, Asianism regarded Japan to be superior to other Asian socieity. As a result, Asia often meant one which is neither the West nor Japan. The dual image of Asia in Asianism shows us that Asianism itself was of dual nature. In other words, it was both expansionist and cooperative, as well as both modernist and anti-modernist.