The Modernizers: Overseas Students, Foreign Employees, and Meiji Japan

Abstract

Introduction --nArdath W. Burks, EditorThis project, itself a contemporary experiment in internationalneducation, had as the occasion for its launching a brace ofnhistorical events. The various essays were prepared for limitedncirculation and discussion, at an international conference ofnscholars convened as part of the celebration of the bicentennialnanniversary of Rutgers University. The authors-- together with annumber of Japan specialists who acted as discussants -- gatherednfor three days, April 26-28, 1967, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.nThe date also roughly approximated the one hundredth anniversarynof contacts between Rutgers and Japan. By coincidence, the followingnyear, 1968, marked the beginning of the centennial anniversarynof the Meiji Restoration in Japan.The project had as the cause of its launching the intellectualncuriosity of the scholars involved. They were grateful for annexcuse to meet, to celebrate a bicentennial, a century of culturalnand educational exchange, and the Meiji centennial. They toonengaged in the polite exchanges appropriate to such occasions,nsingling out for the ceremonies the pleasant and productive aspectsnof such contacts. Then, as scholars must, they settled downnto an objective examination of the process of exchange,specificallynof the particular roles played by foreign employees* and overseasnstudents in nineteenth century Japan.HISTORY OF THE PROJECTContributions by Japanese scholars had first been translatedninto English, usually by younger scholars working in Japan. Amendmentsnand additions were suggested in the conference discussionsnheld in 1967. The editor then took the various and differentnessays and, over some time, re-translated the original Japanese tonsome extent, re-edited the essays originally prepared in English,nand annotated all of the contributions in uniform style. Revisednessays originally prepared by Japanese were re-checked with thenauthors during the editor's successive trips to Japan in 1970, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1982. He then prepared this introduction, five expalnatory chapters, the conclusion, notes and bibliography. n n n n

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