Pervading Tian Xia? Epistemological Lessons Derived from the Study of Tributary Trade System by Hamashita Takeshi
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Chen, Wei-Chih
Abstract
It has been a long dispute that whether political science or so-called the study of politics are provided with characteristics of science. Such argumentation of reflection upon traditional methodology in political science does not merely begin with the book Human Nature in Politics by Graham Wallas in 1902, or The Process of Government by Arthur Bently published in the same year. One can make his assertion that this argumentation is more relevant to the differentiation of idealism within ontology rather than the emergence of behaviorism. The Third Debate of political science has been properly understood after the epistemological revolution led by Thomas Kuhn. Students in this field also started self-examination ontologically, epistemologically, and methodologically. Such problematique, similarly, emerged out of the studies of other research fields about the same time. This thesis takes the epistemological revolution solicited by studies of philosophy of science as the mise-en-scene, and also proposes a possible solution toward problems when conducting research in political science through interdisciplinary reflection. General assumptions of political science not only states that nation-states are basic units of analysis, but also regard land territories as absolute norm of scrutiny. This thesis argues that such concept possesses certain implicit political claims and adopts the studies conducted by Takeshi Hamashita to stimulate possibilities for future research of political science. The research by Hamashita can be seen as two phases: Regional Study and the study of Tributary Trade System. He dissolves the image of Asia constructed by nation-states after the idea of Western philosophy of political science has introduced by proposing regional areas formed by Asian seas. Tributary Trade System, on the other hand, is an attempt of Hamashita to create a “system” which differs from the ideas of system in political science. His problematique starts with the history of modernity in Asia and argues that so-called Western impact in Asia ought not to be and issue, such issue to him, does not even exist. The above-mentioned viewpoints have never emerged in the study of political science. This thesis, therefore, recognizes the value of the studies by Hamashita and takes the research results of his studies as pivot to provide different lessons to students in the study of political science.
Subjects
epistemology
methodology
Takeshi Hamashita
Tributary Trade System
regional study
Type
thesis
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