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Episode 60, 21 MIN 36 SEC , MP3 FORMAT

Harpooning the Myths: Japan and Whaling

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"So why would you want to leave the IWC, start commercial whaling and all of the international protests that would now fall on Japan without any way to cover themselves under the pretext of scientific covering.  So it would be insane for Japan to withdraw and whale commercially." - Dr Charles Schencking

Dr Charles Schencking

Dr Charles Schencking is Senior Lecturer in Asia Institute and the School of Historical Studies where he has taught Japanese history with flair and passion since 2000. Charles brings a truly international background to his subjects, having studied and taught at universities in Britain, Japan, and America.

Charles has published widely on the political, social, and environmental history of Japan. His current research revolves around the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake that destroyed Tokyo and the culture of catastrophe and reconstruction in Japan from 1923 to 1930.

Charles' principal research interest is modern Japanese history, particularly the inter-relationship between state and society in the Meiji and Taishô periods (1868-1926). He has published widely on the politics of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

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USEFUL LINKS

Publications

Book

  • Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, and the Emergence of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922. (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2005). 304 pages. ISBN # 0-8047-4977-9.
    Buy     from Melbourne University Bookshop
    Buy     from Stanford University Bookshop
    Buy     from Amazon

Book Chapters

  • “Admiral Tōgō: The Japanese Commander Who Destroyed the Russian Fleet,” in Jeremy Black, ed., Great Military Leaders and their Campaigns. (London: Thames & Hudson, 2008): 234-237.
  • “Introduction” in Ryoko Adachi and Andrew McKay, eds., Echos of War: Australians Voice their Feeling about Japan. (Tokyo: Mirai Publishers, 2008): 3-7. ISBN # 978-0-646-50287-8.

Journal Articles

  • “The Great Kantō Earthquake and the Culture of Catastrophe and Reconstruction in 1920s Japan.” Journal of Japanese Studies 34:2 (Summer 2008):295-331.
  • “The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 and the Japanese Nation: Responding to an Urban Calamity of an Unprecedented Nature,” Education About Asia 12:2 (Fall 2007):20-25. **Special issue on Natural Disasters in Asia**
  • “Catastrophe, Opportunism, Contestation: The Fractured Politics of Reconstructing Tokyo following the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923,” Modern Asian Studies 40:4 (October 2006):833-874.

CREDITS

Host: Jennifer Cook
Producers: Kelvin Param and Eric van Bemmel
Audio Engineer: Craig McArthur
Theme Music performed by Sergio Ercole. Mr Ercole is represented by the Musicians' Agency, Faculty of Music
Voiceover: Paul Richiardi

Series Creators: Eric van Bemmel and Kelvin Param

Melbourne University Up Close is brought to you by the Marketing and Communications Division in association with Asia Institute.
© The University of Melbourne, 2009. All Rights Reserved.
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brilliant

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 00:08.

yep, this is a great one. no surprise with charles - he was my supervisor for my honors thesis about 5-6 years ago and is a marvel. would have been great to hear more about what "scientific" whaling actually means, but otherwise this was fascinating and captivating.

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Whaling in Japan

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 20:44.

Thank you for the great podcast with a great person, I believe Dr. Schencking is one of the greatest Japanese historians of all times. Concerning the whales I could say, that whaling in Japan is an integral part of Japanese culture, despite the fact that this appears almost unacceptable for western civilization.
Regards, Martin

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Charles Schencking is my hero

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 22:30.

Charles taught me the History of Modern Japan this year. He was brilliant. I wish him all the best.

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