1:45 PM - 2:00 PM
[MZZ41-01] Messengers of Professionalism -- Visions of American Geological Advisors in Early Meiji Era --
Keywords:Professionalism, Jacksonian Democracy, Horace Capron, Benjamin Smith Lyman
There exists little doubt that people regard professionalism as the intellectual premise taken for granted. However, as a system of intellect, it has been only two hundred years since its launching. After that, professionalism came to grow, and is still in the process of expanding, or rather, of further subdividing. In sum, professionalism is the intellectual foundation of our time.
The United States has played an important role in expanding professionalism globally. It is no exaggeration to say that its expansion could be interpreted as one part of the cultural strategy of hegemony that the United States has adopted and be functioned as a kind of an ideology.
Based on this idea, I would like to show a brief overview of the earliest phase of professionalism in the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century. At that time, professionalism was a new and alternative way of intellect that traditional colleges had monopolized. However, the earliest wave of professionalism could be traced before the founding of the United States. This tendency, long before its foundation, came to be salient around the time of the inauguration of Andrew Jackson as President (1829). This historical event did not simply mean the inauguration of a new president out of humble origin; but rather, it came to change the aspect of intellect from the traditional college-based one to that of professionalism. To some extent, it could be regarded as one byproduct of democratization. Moreover, since then, the kind of people called middle-class came to raise their position; especially, the upper part of those called bourgeoisie would gain power with the hallmarks of their professional skills acquired from their higher education.
This expansion of professionalism in the United States was closely relevant even to Japan just after the Meiji Restoration. Those in Meiji Government adopted many kinds of civilized things and ideas from Western countries. Especially, they contacted to the United States government as to the development in Hokkaido. The American advisors coming to Hokkaido taught to the Japanese youth the earliest phase of professionalism in the geoscientific fields such as agriculture, geology, and meteorology. In this presentation, I would like to consider the words and fundamental values of Horace Capron, Benjamin Smith Lyman and other advisors coming to Japan and their discoveries through the Japanese youth.
The Japanese youth in early Meiji era learned so earnestly from the American advisors, and then came to express and keep their gratitude frankly. It not merely contributed to the nation-building process and national independence of Japan in the short run; but, in the long run, it has still affected our acceptance and understanding of the United States after the World War II. However, there exists a hidden problem that needs to consider seriously; while those in Western countries including the United States have developed professionalism through the success of democratic procedure, those in Japan accepted it as a given; therefore, we, Japanese people, have had little chance to consider that process. I would like to propose a necessity to consider the procedure relating to the acceptance of professionalism.
The United States has played an important role in expanding professionalism globally. It is no exaggeration to say that its expansion could be interpreted as one part of the cultural strategy of hegemony that the United States has adopted and be functioned as a kind of an ideology.
Based on this idea, I would like to show a brief overview of the earliest phase of professionalism in the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century. At that time, professionalism was a new and alternative way of intellect that traditional colleges had monopolized. However, the earliest wave of professionalism could be traced before the founding of the United States. This tendency, long before its foundation, came to be salient around the time of the inauguration of Andrew Jackson as President (1829). This historical event did not simply mean the inauguration of a new president out of humble origin; but rather, it came to change the aspect of intellect from the traditional college-based one to that of professionalism. To some extent, it could be regarded as one byproduct of democratization. Moreover, since then, the kind of people called middle-class came to raise their position; especially, the upper part of those called bourgeoisie would gain power with the hallmarks of their professional skills acquired from their higher education.
This expansion of professionalism in the United States was closely relevant even to Japan just after the Meiji Restoration. Those in Meiji Government adopted many kinds of civilized things and ideas from Western countries. Especially, they contacted to the United States government as to the development in Hokkaido. The American advisors coming to Hokkaido taught to the Japanese youth the earliest phase of professionalism in the geoscientific fields such as agriculture, geology, and meteorology. In this presentation, I would like to consider the words and fundamental values of Horace Capron, Benjamin Smith Lyman and other advisors coming to Japan and their discoveries through the Japanese youth.
The Japanese youth in early Meiji era learned so earnestly from the American advisors, and then came to express and keep their gratitude frankly. It not merely contributed to the nation-building process and national independence of Japan in the short run; but, in the long run, it has still affected our acceptance and understanding of the United States after the World War II. However, there exists a hidden problem that needs to consider seriously; while those in Western countries including the United States have developed professionalism through the success of democratic procedure, those in Japan accepted it as a given; therefore, we, Japanese people, have had little chance to consider that process. I would like to propose a necessity to consider the procedure relating to the acceptance of professionalism.