Red Brick Imperialism: How Vernacular Knowledge Shaped Japanese Colonial Expertise in Northeast China, 1905-45.

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  • Author(s): Dong Y
  • Source:
    Technology and culture [Technol Cult] 2022; Vol. 63 (1), pp. 118-152.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 21120500R Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1097-3729 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0040165X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Technol Cult
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: <2001->: Baltimore, MD : Johns Hopkins University Press
      Original Publication: Chicago : University of Chicago Press
    • Subject Terms:
      Colonialism*; China ; Humans ; Japan ; Russia
    • Abstract:
      This article analyzes the influence and mechanism of Japanese imperialism by examining red brick building in Manchuria (Northeast China). Manchuria's extreme climate and geography led Japanese experts to work with Chinese brick masons. They absorbed Chinese laborers and artisans' vernacular knowledge, translating it into their technical expertise and rebranding it as part of their technological superiority. Studying documents in Russian, Japanese, and Chinese reveals that technology transfer is an interactive yet uneven process between various actors and the environment. This article further complicates the depiction of Japanese imperialism in Northeast China, arguing that imperialism builds on an appropriation and erasure of local knowledge. At the intersection of imperialism and nationalism, red brick became the staple building material in Northeast China, influencing how people build there even today.
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20220110 Date Completed: 20220321 Latest Revision: 20220321
    • Publication Date:
      20221213
    • Accession Number:
      10.1353/tech.2022.0004
    • Accession Number:
      35000961