Export Promotions and Trans-Urban Learning: Japanese Cities’ Interactions with Belgian Universal Expositions, Commercial Museums and Educations, c. 1880–1930s
Miki Sugiura, USI visiting scholar
Professor of Global Economic History, Hosei University, Japan
It is widely acknowledged that Japan, as the nation sought to establish a modern state system, drew inspirations from Belgian institutions, during the late 19th century. However, most of the scholarly attention has been focused on the central banking system, while other areas of institutional learning have received far less emphasis. In the domain of export promotion, Japanese policymakers and urban institutions studied and adapted Belgian cities’ commercial museums, universal expositions and commercial education as models. Nevertheless, these influences have only been cursorily addressed in studies focusing on individual institutions.
This presentation adopts a broader perspective on export promotion in both countries, with the aim of re-evaluating the role of cities and developing an analytical framework that captures the mechanisms underlying their institutional transformations. By setting the framework of trans-urban exchange and learning, this presentation demonstrates the pivotal roles cities played in shaping and navigating the establishment of institutional mechanisms for export promotion, communications for commercial knowledge and the new categorisation of trade goods, particularly crafts. By comparing Japanese and Belgian cities, the presentation aims to shed new light on the role of cities in the profound transformations in global trade that took place between the late 19th century and the interwar period.
(Photo: the market hall at the Kunstlei - now: Frankrijklei - in Antwerp around 1900, FelixArchief, inventory number: GP#10210)
Practical details
- When: Wednesday 7 May 2025, 12.30 - 2 p.m.
- Where: UAntwerp Stadscampus, room SJ.115, Sint-Jacobsmarkt 13
- A vegetarian lunch is included.