Hokkaidō 150 Podcast Episode 3 - Dr. Katsuya Hirano (UCLA)

In this episode, republished from the Meiji at 150 Podcast, Dr. Katsuya Hirano (UCLA) underlines the racialization and dispossession of the Indigenous Ainu inhabitants of Hokkaidō during Japanese settler colonization of the island during the Meiji Period. We discuss the role of capitalism and infrastructural development in Japanese imperial expansion, the impacts of the Meiji Restoration on the Ainu population, conditions for Ainu today, and the ongoing challenges of cultural commodification.

What is Hokkaidō 150?

Official channel of the "Hokkaidō 150: Settler Colonialism and Indigeneity in Modern Japan and Beyond" workshop. Stay tuned for audio of Hokkaidō 150 workshop proceedings, along with podcasts exploring topics related to Ainu history and culture, and the settler colonization of Hokkaidō.