Intentional Invisibilization in Modern Asian History: Concealing and Self-Concealed Agents

Scholars from the humanities and social sciences have repeatedly faced the challenge of writing history beyond the constraints and frameworks set by grand narratives and established historiographies. This book addresses the intentional invisibilization and concealment of people, knowledge, and ideas in historiography – both by historians and by the historical actors themselves – as an object of study. It does so through the lens of Asian bondage and dependency in modern and contemporary history. This collective work focuses on ‘concealment’, ‘self-concealment’ and ‘invisibility’ to analyze the asymmetrical agency involved in the act of hiding someone or something from being ‘inscribed’ in the record, and the social marginalization involved in this process. With studies ranging from imperial, colonial, and postcolonial history, language and translation studies, as well as digital archival sciences, the authors in this book examine ways in which concealment serves as a strategic tool for exercising power and shaping the flow of information. Consequently, this volume urges a fresh awareness of narrative construction, encouraging humanities researchers to think creatively and to historicize independently of dominant narratives.

Mònica Ginés-Blasi, ENS de Lyon, France.