International Symposium 2025

​＜Positional Paper＞

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The Development Century in the Indian Ocean World 

 

　　Recent studies have shown that the Indian Ocean has long been an interconnected world, with its continuous interaction of peoples, goods and ideas. While debates continue over how this interconnectedness and unity of the Indian Ocean World have transformed, it seems reasonable to argue that the waves of European colonialism with violent shift in power relations has brought about drastic changes in the way peoples interact with each other, as well as with their surrounding socio-ecological environment. Furthermore, since the 19th century, large-scale interventions in human societies and natural environments have been justified by “development” in this vast region. European nations such as Britain and France expanded into this region, establishing various institutions and infrastructure to secure its resources and markets. Meanwhile, during its imperial period, Japan advanced into Southeast Asia through its southward expansion policy, developing resources to sustain its total war efforts. After World War II, Japan became involved in the development of postcolonial Asian nations through technological assistance provided as war reparations. Additionally, the development of these nations was deeply entangled with the geopolitical dynamics of the Cold War, unfolding within the competing interests of the United States and the Soviet Union. 

　　This symposium is positioned as part of an attempt to conceptualize development not merely as a theory born in the mid-20th century in the West, but rather a broader temporal and spatial framework. Rather than rigidly defining the concept of development, our goal is to shed light on the diversity of development theories, discourses, and practices in the Indian Ocean world from local perspectives. By examining various case studies, we aim to engage in theoretical reflections on key themes such as the continuity between the colonial and postcolonial periods, the “legacies” of development, and the origins and hegemonic nature of international development. This symposium seeks to provide a platform for dialogue among scholars from different disciplines—including history, anthropology, and development studies—to explore in what sense we live in the century of development.