Asian History

Overview

The research interests of the Asian History Program within the Department of History include East Asian history centered on China and the history of the Islamic world centered on the Middle East. The program is characterized by research into modern Chinese history, which inherits the empirical historical tradition of historian Suiichiro Tanaka and the study of ancient history of Chinese folklore pioneered by Nobuhiro Matsumoto, professor emeritus of Oriental History at Keio. Current research into the history of the Middle East and the Islamic world is focused on the social history of the Arab region and the history of the Ottoman Empire, inheriting the academic traditions of Shinji Maejima and Toshihiko Izutsu, two pioneers of the field in Japan. However, student research is not limited to the above areas. Our faculty members hope that students will use their bodies and minds to internalize the history of Asia and the Middle East and have the freedom to surpass their teachers to open up new research frontiers. For that reason, we continue to welcome leading scholars from outside of Keio to work together to create a space for cutting-edge Asian history research.

Faculty

Name/Position

Department/Specialty/Research Interest/Publication

  • IWAMA, Kazuhiro
    Professor

    Asian History
    Modern East Asian History, History of Food as Cultural Exchange, and Chinese Urban History.

    With Shanghai as my main field of research, I have studied social change in modern Chinese cities. My work has also explored the theme of cultural exchange through food, examining how nationalism since the 20th century has transformed Chinese cuisine and how Japanese imperialism influenced its acceptance. More recently, I have been interested in the development of regional cuisines in contemporary China and the historical identities of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. I try to scrutinize and check by comparing books, magazines, newspapers and corporate and administrative documents of each city and conduct supplementary interviews to verify specific facts as much as I can.

    Publication
    • 『上海大衆の誕生と変貌：近代新中間層の消費・動員・イベント』（東京大学出版会，2012）（葛涛・甘慧杰訳『上海大衆的誕生与変貌：近代新興中産階級的消費，動員和活動』上海辞書出版社，2016）
    • 「中国料理のモダニティ：民国期の食都・上海における日本人ツーリストの美食体験」（関根謙編 『近代中国 その表象と現実：女性・戦争・民俗文化』平凡社，2016）（彭芃訳「中国菜的現代性：日本遊客在民国時期食都上海的美食体験」巫仁恕編『城市指南與近代中国城市研究』台北，開源書局，2019）
    • 『中国料理の世界史：美食のナショナリズムをこえて』（慶應義塾大学出版会，2021）
    • “From Chinese food to Japan’s Hokkaido heritage: The transformation of the grilled mutton or lamb dish ‘Jingisukan,’” in Routledge Open Research: Culinary Heritage, 25 June 2024, doi: https://routledgeopenresearch.org/articles/3-2
    • “Forgotten Imperial Culture: The Spread of Taiwanese Oolong Tea in Early Twentieth-Century Japan,” in Taiwan Historical Research (《臺灣史研究》, Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica, Taiwan), Vol. 31, No. 3, September 2024, pp. 77–130.
  • HASEBE, Fumihiko
    Professor

    Asian History
    Middle Eastern Social History, The History of the Arabic Political Culture

    My research focuses on the social history of Egypt in the Mamluk and Ottoman eras. I am particularly interested in the political culture and social relationship of pre-modern Nile Delta cities. I am currently working on urban notables of al-Mahalla al-Kubra based on the analysis of Ottoman court registers.

    Publication
    • 『中世環地中海圏都市の救貧』（編著、慶應義塾大学出版会、2004）
    • 『オスマン帝国治下のアラブ社会』（単著、山川出版社、2017）
    • 『地中海世界の旅人：移動と記述の中近世史』（編著、慶應義塾大学出版会、2014）
    • 『ナイル・デルタの環境と文明Ⅰ・Ⅱ』（編著、早稲田大学イスラーム地域研究機構、2012-13）
    • 『岩波講座世界歴史10 イスラーム世界の発展』（共著、岩波書店、1999）
  • FUJIKI, Kenji
    Professor

    Asian History
    History of the Ottoman Empire, Urban Social History of the Middle East

    I have an interest in the issues that concern the urban lives of people in cities in the Middle East, especially during the period of the Ottoman Empire. I pay particular attention to the merchants and craftsmen who make up the majority of the urban population, even today, and research the people of commerce and industry and the unions of Ottoman-era Istanbul. In order to reveal the actual living conditions of merchants and craftsmen as well as the management of unions, I extract and analyze related cases from historical sources, namely sources called the Ottoman Court Records. Additionally, this same research interest has led me to research concerning contemporaneous entertainment, consumer culture, and charity work.

    Publication
    • 「一八世紀イスタンブルにおける皮鞣工イブラヒムの遺産とその相続」（『史学』88巻3・4号、2020年）
    • 「近世オスマン帝国都市の慈善と救貧」（『史学』87巻3号、2018年）
    • 「近世オスマン帝国の旅と旅人 ―エヴリヤ・チェレビーを中心に」（長谷部史彦編『地中海世界の旅人 ―移動と記述の中近世史』慶應義塾大学出版会、2014年）
    • 「一八世紀イスタンブルにおける靴革流通と靴革商組合」（『史学』82巻3号、2013年）
    • 「オスマン朝下イスタンブルにおけるイェディクレ周辺の皮鞣工と皮鞣工房群」（『史学』81巻1号、2012年）