My dissertation involves a critique of the concept of life or seimei as it emerged in modern use during the Meiji era (1868-1912). Specifically, I have outlined the conditions of possibility for thinking seimei at particular moments in the development of the modern, market-centered Japanese nation-state in historical and literary terms such that I can begin to use these conditions to think its impossibilities. In short, I argue that a central condition of possibility for thinking life in its modern, historical form is a process of individuation that takes hold of and shapes bodies at an ontological level. By critiquing life and its ontology of individuation, I unearth the traces of an impossible “apriori collectivism” - that is, a collectivism not merely reducible to a congregation of individuals, but originally collective – buried under the calls for individual freedom, self-help, and industrialization that were at the heart of the Meiji era’s modernization project. I track this apriori collectivism in a lineage relating (through non-relation) the mutual aid societies or mujin-kô of the Edo period to the life insurance industry of the Meiji 10s and 20s. I then use this material history of life as backdrop to my study of the literary trends in the latter decades of the Meiji era, and end with a consideration of the political and aesthetic implications seimei has for thought by taking up a study of Iwano Hômei’s Shinpiteki hanjûshugi (Mystical Demi-animalism).

My dissertation involves a critique of the concept of life or seimei as it emerged in modern use during the Meiji era (1868-1912). Specifically, I have outlined the conditions of possibility for thinking seimei at particular moments in the development of the modern, market-centered Japanese nation-state in historical and literary terms such that I can begin to use these conditions to think its impossibilities. In short, I argue that a central condition of possibility for thinking life in its modern, historical form is a process of individuation that takes hold of and shapes bodies at an ontological level. By critiquing life and its ontology of individuation, I unearth the traces of an impossible “apriori collectivism” - that is, a collectivism not merely reducible to a congregation of individuals, but originally collective – buried under the calls for individual freedom, self-help, and industrialization that were at the heart of the Meiji era’s modernization project. I track this apriori collectivism in a lineage relating (through non-relation) the mutual aid societies or mujin-kô of the Edo period to the life insurance industry of the Meiji 10s and 20s. I then use this material history of life as backdrop to my study of the literary trends in the latter decades of the Meiji era, and end with a consideration of the political and aesthetic implications seimei has for thought by taking up a study of Iwano Hômei’s Shinpiteki hanjûshugi (Mystical Demi-animalism).

Durant l'ère Meiji, afin d'occuper une position forte dans le concert des nations, le gouvernement japonais engage le pays dans un mouvement de modernisation. Dans le cadre de ce mouvement, les mathématiques occidentales, et en particulier la géométrie euclidienne, sont introduites dans l'enseignement. Cette décision est prise alors que, en raison du succès des mathématiques traditionnelles (wasan), aucune traduction sur le sujet n'est disponible. Mes travaux s'intéressent aux premiers manuels de géométrie élémentaire, qui ont été élaborés, diffusés et utilisés dans ce transfert scientifique. Une grille d'analyse centrée sur les questions du langage et des outils logiques est déployée pour mettre en évidence les différentes phases dans l'importation et l'adaptation des connaissances occidentales / During the Meijing era, the political context in East Asia led the Japanese authorities to embark on a nationwide modernization program. This resulted in the introduction of Western mathematics, and especially Euclidean geometry into Japanese education. However, as traditional mathematics (was an) were very successful at that time, there were no Japanese translations of texts dealing with this new geometry available at this time. My work focuses on the first Japanese textbooks that were developed, distributed and used during this period of scientific transfer. My analysis concentrates on language and logical reasoning in order to highlight the various phases in the importation and adaptation of Western knowledge to the Japanese context

Em uma época em que o pensamento científico, voltado para a máxima produtividade e o maior lucro possível, já dominava a humanidade, audaciosamente, Kakuzō Okakura, pensador e historiador de arte japonês do período Meiji (1868-1912) coloca-se contra esse domínio e postula a defesa da arte genuína, que transcende a lógica vigente. Atuando, num primeiro momento, em nome do governo japonês e, posteriormente, de maneira independente, Okakura lutou pelo reconhecimento do valor da arte nipônica perante a comunidade internacional, chegando a publicar três obras sobre o assunto em inglês. Trabalhou também em solo norte-americano, no Museu de Belas-Artes de Boston, como responsável pelo Departamento de Artes Chinesa e Japonesa. Dando sequência ao seu ideal, Mokichi Okada, religioso, artista e colecionador de arte, instituiu um museu particular, em Hakone, com o objetivo de democratizar o acesso a obras-primas japonesas, entre outras iniciativas; além disso, orientava seus discípulos a encararem a arte como meio de elevação e desenvolvimento do caráter, indispensável para a promoção de uma sociedade mais justa e melhor. Neste trabalho, mostraremos os pilares do pensamento estético de Okakura e Okada, e também suas ações concretas em prol da arte. / In times when the scientific thought, aiming the maximum productivity and greatest profit, already controlled humanity, audaciously, Okakura Kakuzō, a Japanese thinker and scholar of art who perfomed in Meiji Era (1868-1912), stands against this control and postulates the defence of genuine art, which transcends the prevailing logic. Working, in first place, under the Japanese government and, subsequently, in an independent way, Okakura fought for the recognition of Japanese arts value in the world, publishing three books in English. He also worked in the USA, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as the responsible of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Arts. Following Okakuras ideal, Okada Mokichi, religious, artist and art collector, he instituted a particular museum, in Hakone, aiming to democratize the access to Japanese masterpieces, and other initiatives; besides, he oriented his disciples to face art as way to develop and enhance the personality, essential for the promotion of a fairer and better society. In this work, we are going to show the pillars of the aesthetic thought of Okakura and Okada, and also their achievements in order to develop the arts.

Em uma época em que o pensamento científico, voltado para a máxima produtividade e o maior lucro possível, já dominava a humanidade, audaciosamente, Kakuzō Okakura, pensador e historiador de arte japonês do período Meiji (1868-1912) coloca-se contra esse domínio e postula a defesa da arte genuína, que transcende a lógica vigente. Atuando, num primeiro momento, em nome do governo japonês e, posteriormente, de maneira independente, Okakura lutou pelo reconhecimento do valor da arte nipônica perante a comunidade internacional, chegando a publicar três obras sobre o assunto em inglês. Trabalhou também em solo norte-americano, no Museu de Belas-Artes de Boston, como responsável pelo Departamento de Artes Chinesa e Japonesa. Dando sequência ao seu ideal, Mokichi Okada, religioso, artista e colecionador de arte, instituiu um museu particular, em Hakone, com o objetivo de democratizar o acesso a obras-primas japonesas, entre outras iniciativas; além disso, orientava seus discípulos a encararem a arte como meio de elevação e desenvolvimento do caráter, indispensável para a promoção de uma sociedade mais justa e melhor. Neste trabalho, mostraremos os pilares do pensamento estético de Okakura e Okada, e também suas ações concretas em prol da arte. / In times when the scientific thought, aiming the maximum productivity and greatest profit, already controlled humanity, audaciously, Okakura Kakuzō, a Japanese thinker and scholar of art who perfomed in Meiji Era (1868-1912), stands against this control and postulates the defence of genuine art, which transcends the prevailing logic. Working, in first place, under the Japanese government and, subsequently, in an independent way, Okakura fought for the recognition of Japanese arts value in the world, publishing three books in English. He also worked in the USA, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as the responsible of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Arts. Following Okakuras ideal, Okada Mokichi, religious, artist and art collector, he instituted a particular museum, in Hakone, aiming to democratize the access to Japanese masterpieces, and other initiatives; besides, he oriented his disciples to face art as way to develop and enhance the personality, essential for the promotion of a fairer and better society. In this work, we are going to show the pillars of the aesthetic thought of Okakura and Okada, and also their achievements in order to develop the arts.

Цель данной работы состоит в определении того, как воспринимали японо-китайскую 1894-1895 гг. и русско-японскую 1904-1905 гг. войны японские женщины. Особое внимание уделено раскрытию роли японских женщин в период войн против Китая и России, автор определяет их отношение к вышеуказанным войнам, а также уделяет внимание положению женщин в японском обществе и доступным им правам. / The purpose of this paper is to define the Japanese women’s perception of Sino-Japanese 1894-1895 and Russo-Japanese 1904-1905 Wars. A special attention is paid to unveil the role of women in Japanese society during wars against China and Russia. The author defines women’s attitude toward mentioned above wars, also author pays attention to Japanese women’s place in Public and their Rights.