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Épistémologie à la japonaise: Kanamori Osamu and the history and philosophy of science in Japan

Hsiung, Hansun

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Abstract

As the history of science makes its “global turn,” it has become ever more vital to pluralize the geography of its theoretical voices. This article takes up the challenge by introducing Anglophone scholars to the work of the late Kanamori Osamu (1954-2016), a major force in the introduction of French épistémologie and SSK (Sociology of Scientific Knowledge) to Japan. Centered around a review of three volumes edited by Kanamori shortly before his death, I explore Kanamori’s approach to the history of science as a philosophical critique of reason, and his championing of eclecticism in the face of mounting presentism and policy-oriented studies of science in Japan. From here, I consider the barriers facing the translation of modern Japanese scientific thought into English. Finally, I signal three overlooked arenas where future collaboration between Anglophone historians of science and historians of scientific thought in Japan might flourish: in rethinking the status of gender; in drawing new epistemic maps of premodern Eurasia; in outlining the processes behind the construction of a shared Asian modernity.

Citation

Hsiung, H. (2021). Épistémologie à la japonaise: Kanamori Osamu and the history and philosophy of science in Japan. Contemporary Japan, 33(1), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.1080/18692729.2020.1847390

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 3, 2020
Online Publication Date Nov 22, 2020
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Dec 15, 2020
Publicly Available Date May 22, 2022
Journal Contemporary Japan
Print ISSN 1869-2729
Electronic ISSN 1869-2737
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 33
Issue 1
Pages 123-137
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/18692729.2020.1847390

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Copyright Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Contemporary Japan. Hsiung, Hansun (2021). Épistémologie à la japonaise: Kanamori Osamu and the history and philosophy of science in Japan. Contemporary Japan 33(1): 123-137. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.




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