The course will begin by asking why science became such a core problem of East Asian modernity and then explore issues surrounding the assimilation of science, the adoption of scientific values, and the dissemination of scientific practices. Though we will grapple with the idea of “progress” throughout the course, the course is not concerned with East Asian development towards any particular standard of scientific achievement. Instead, it focuses on the complex ways that East Asian understandings of science shifted over time, and it will examine the implications of these shifts for both East Asian identities and scientific practice itself.
These topics will open up questions about “traditional” knowledge in East Asia, East Asian nationalisms, changes in moral and spiritual culture, and the geo-politics of East Asia’s place in the international community. As we struggle with the role of science in East Asia, we will also develop a deeper understanding of science itself, including its relation to power, its claims of objectivity, and its adaptability to new contexts. The concepts of crisis, reinvention, and identity will be employed to analyze not only East Asian history, but scientific culture.
