Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in nineteenth century East Asia
Although the safety of castaway sailors was used to publically justify interventions such as Commodore Perry’s arrival in Tokyo Bay in 1852 or the Japanese invasion of Formosa in 1874, the historiography of this period has searched for alternative explanations, such as commercial expansion or cul...
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
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2014
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| Online Access: | https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/14450/1/15.pdf |
| _version_ | 1803626794205577216 |
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| author | Connolly, Daniel Phillip |
| author_facet | Connolly, Daniel Phillip |
| author_sort | Connolly, Daniel Phillip |
| collection | UUM |
| description | Although the safety of castaway sailors was used to publically justify interventions such as
Commodore Perry’s arrival in Tokyo Bay in 1852 or the Japanese invasion of Formosa in 1874, the
historiography of this period has searched for alternative explanations, such as commercial
expansion or cultural chauvinism. This paper argues that the protection of castaways was more than a pretext for overseas military actions. Shipwrecks were a formidable problem of international relations in the period, demanding the creation of shared norms and mechanisms. In East Asia, European interlopers encountered a pre-existing system dedicated to regulating this problem that differed from their own.Although both systems protected shipwrecked sailors, they were in reality based on very different assumptions. Westerners made a conscious decision to subvert these indigenous institutions, even while benefiting from them. Ultimately, this struggle over the treatment and repatriation of shipwrecked sailors can be seen as a key component of imperialism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-07-04T05:55:49Z |
| format | Conference or Workshop Item |
| id | uum-14450 |
| institution | Universiti Utara Malaysia |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-07-04T05:55:49Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | uum-144502016-05-12T03:19:04Z https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/14450/ Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in nineteenth century East Asia Connolly, Daniel Phillip DS Asia JZ International relations Although the safety of castaway sailors was used to publically justify interventions such as Commodore Perry’s arrival in Tokyo Bay in 1852 or the Japanese invasion of Formosa in 1874, the historiography of this period has searched for alternative explanations, such as commercial expansion or cultural chauvinism. This paper argues that the protection of castaways was more than a pretext for overseas military actions. Shipwrecks were a formidable problem of international relations in the period, demanding the creation of shared norms and mechanisms. In East Asia, European interlopers encountered a pre-existing system dedicated to regulating this problem that differed from their own.Although both systems protected shipwrecked sailors, they were in reality based on very different assumptions. Westerners made a conscious decision to subvert these indigenous institutions, even while benefiting from them. Ultimately, this struggle over the treatment and repatriation of shipwrecked sailors can be seen as a key component of imperialism. 2014-08-23 Conference or Workshop Item PeerReviewed application/pdf en https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/14450/1/15.pdf Connolly, Daniel Phillip (2014) Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in nineteenth century East Asia. In: 23rd International Conference of Historians of Asia 2014 (IAHA2014), 23 - 27 August 2014, Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia. http://www.iaha2014.uum.edu.my/ |
| spellingShingle | DS Asia JZ International relations Connolly, Daniel Phillip Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in nineteenth century East Asia |
| title | Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in
nineteenth century East Asia |
| title_full | Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in
nineteenth century East Asia |
| title_fullStr | Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in
nineteenth century East Asia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in
nineteenth century East Asia |
| title_short | Succoring strangers: Castaway humanitarianism in
nineteenth century East Asia |
| title_sort | succoring strangers castaway humanitarianism in nineteenth century east asia |
| topic | DS Asia JZ International relations |
| url | https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/14450/1/15.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT connollydanielphillip succoringstrangerscastawayhumanitarianisminnineteenthcenturyeastasia |