ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a specific field of knowledge production that emerged in both Europe and Japan in the late nineteenth century under such headings as ‘colonial studies’, ‘colonial science’, and ‘imperial science’. Colonial studies – the umbrella term I use to address this phenomenon – were as much a political and business-related project as they were an academic endeavour to create expertise on the colonies and to benefit from strong, although temporary, financial support. Considering this view, I highlight, in particular, the transimperial features and post-colonial implications of this field of study.
