60. Japanese History
The essay should be based on this thesis: At the advent of Tokugawa power, Ezo (something like, “land of the barbarians”) was not considered part of Japan proper (wagakuni, or “our country”), but by the end of the Tokugawa period Ezo was in Japanese hands. Question: What processes and impetuses led to the Japanese expansion into Ezo? How would you characterize Tokugawa imperialism? Is “imperialism” an appropriate term in this context? What role did culture and ecology play in Japanese expansion?
Additionally this book may help you: 2015 The Conquest of Ainu Lands: Ecology and Culture in Japanese Expansion, 1590-1800 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001; paperback reprint, 2016). Nominated: John Whitney Hall Prize (AAS).
Finally, though it is a small chance, please do not have a man named Reed Knappe write this paper. He is the T.A.