Title: Postdevelopment in Japan – Revisiting Yoshirou Tamanoi’s Theory of Regionalism

Speaker: Dr. Yoshihiro Nakano (Waseda University)

Abstract:

In this workshop, Dr. Nakano presents a summary of his latest research article published in Postdevelopment in Practice: Alternatives, Economies, Ontologies (edited by E. Klein and C. E. Morreo, London and New York, Routledge, 2019). Yoshirou Tamanoi (1918-1985) is a pioneer of ecological economics in Japan and a highly original social critic who introduced the works of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, Karl Polanyi and Ivan Illich to the Japanese public. In the mid-1970s, he instigated a new societal project called ‘regionalism’, exploring alternatives to development in Japan.

The presentation examines key concepts of regionalism with a particular focus on its exploration of new vision of community. It brings to light four theoretical domains elaborated by Tamanoi: politics, economics, aesthetics and ethics. Then, it discusses how his theory resonates with its international counterparts such as degrowth and civil economy, mutually cultivating a vision of post-capitalist community economy. The concluding part suggests a possible convergence of regionalism to a global project of epistemologies of the South, introducing a new research program.

Discussant:  Prof. Max Ward (Middlebury College)
Chair: Dr. Jeffrey J. Hall (Waseda University)

Language: English

July 8 (Monday), 2019, 16:30-18:00

Place: Waseda University Campus, Building 14, Room 960

1-104 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, JAPAN
Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/vJbYazrTj3s
A Campus Map can be found at: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/access/waseda-campus