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Samurai Nation: Global Views of Japan from the 1890s to the Second World War

  • Termin in der Vergangenheit
  • Mittwoch, 22. Januar 2025, 16:00 - 18:00 Uhr
  • Online
    • Oleg Benesch (Professor, University of York)

Oleg Benesch (Professor, University of York) will share his thoughts on global perceptions of Japan from the late nineteenth century until the Second World War:

Today, the samurai is a global icon and one of the best-known symbols of Japan. This talk examines the evolution of the samurai figure in the decades between the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and the end of the Second World War in 1945. During this fifty-year period, the samurai image was reinvented in the service of nationalism within Japan, while also becoming highly influential in foreign depictions of Japan. This talk examines uses of the samurai image in other countries during these decades, with a focus on changing views of Japan as ally or enemy in various contexts.

Samurai Nation: Global Views of Japan from the 1890s to the Second World War

For more information about the Research Training Group "Ambivalent Enmity: Dynamics of Antagonism in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East”, please go to our website:

RTG 2840

This project has received funding from the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). 

Alle Termine der Veranstaltung 'Enemy Encounters Webinar Series'

Enemy Encounters in East Asia will have a similar geographic scope to the Aftermath webinar series, covering East Asia, but with a broader temporal reach beyond the Imjin War and its aftermath. It will feature speakers from across different academic disciplines working on East Asia, who deal with antagonisms and processes of enemization in their research. Contributing speakers will discuss enmities in East Asia and associated ambivalences as they have historically manifested in the concrete conflicts they are studying. Case studies will include both states and non-state actors like religious and terrorist movements, as well as antagonisms within societies, such as those revolving around gender differences and class conflicts. We will look at how enmity and processes of enemization took shape, evolved over time and influenced identities, perceptions of self and others, as well as state policies. Please find attached the program for the upcoming term at Heidelberg University, covering October 2024 until February 2025. Information about the first session follows below:

English