Book Review: The ‘Long Eighteenth Century’ in Maritime Asian History by Shimada Ryūto, ed.

Abstract

Within the historiography of global maritime history, the eighteenth century as an axis of research has often been regarded as a controversial concept. First introduced by the Dutch historian J. C. Van Leur in 1934, the axis rejected the conventional, positivist, Eurocentric focus of contemporary research, which primarily focused on the neighbouring centuries while reducing the eighteenth century to insignificance. In opposition, Van Leur coined the term the ‘long eighteenth century’, aiming to emphasize inter-Asian agency while limiting the assumed European influence. Shimada Ryuto has brought together a group of researchers with the aim of revitalizing and proving the feasibility of this concept. As editor of Acta Asiatica, he supports Van Leur’s proposal by stating how the eighteenth century as an analytical frame has a unique ability to convey the vibrant, transformative and predominantly Asian nature of this century, stimulating a much-needed reconsideration of past historical assumptions. The main goal of this special issue of Acta Asiatica is therefore described by Shimada as building ‘a new temporal axis for research’ (iii–iv), utilizing practical contributions that are capable of establishing a theoretical framework. As a new perspective within historical research, the eighteenth century is regarded as the Asian linchpin between conventional premodern and modern centuries. Equipped with diverging topics and methodologies, the contributions outline each author’s own research project, tied together through the eighteenth-century narrative. First, Peng Hao disputes the Japanese Sakoku policy (national seclusion, 鎖国) through a detailed analysis of the eighteenth-century commercial relations between Chinese and Japanese merchants in Nagasaki. This policy was adjusted to meet and accommodate local socio-economic circumstances. Subsequently, Kato Shinsaku examines