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VOL. 12, ISSUE 11 (2025)
Rabindranath Tagore and Japan: A critical study of cultural diplomacy, nationalism, and the ethics of Asian modernity
Authors
Arun Kumar Ghosh
Abstract
Rabindranath Tagore’s intellectual and cultural encounters with Japan
between 1916 and 1929 represent one of the most significant, complex, and
ethically charged dialogues in the intellectual history of modern Asia. At a
time when Japan stood at the crossroads of aesthetic tradition and nationalist
expansion, Tagore emerged as a cultural diplomat and philosophical critic whose
interventions aimed to reshape Asia’s moral and political trajectory. This
study conducts a comprehensive analysis of Tagore’s letters, lectures, travel
narratives, and artistic interactions alongside Japanese responses recorded
across newspapers, universities, religious institutions, and artistic
communities. The findings reveal Tagore’s articulation of an ethical
Pan-Asianism that sharply diverged from Japan’s political Pan-Asianism, his
prophetic critique of nationalism, and his ability to forge aesthetic alliances
despite ideological conflict. The study further demonstrates that the long-term
impact of Tagore’s Japan project unfolded most clearly in post–World War II
Japanese intellectual discourse, where Tagore’s warnings gained retrospective
legitimacy. Through hermeneutic, historical, and discourse analysis, this paper
argues that Tagore’s Japan project remains vital for understanding the ethical
tensions of Asian modernity and offers an enduring model for intercultural
diplomacy and global humanism.
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Pages:165-169
How to cite this article:
Arun Kumar Ghosh "Rabindranath Tagore and Japan: A critical study of cultural diplomacy, nationalism, and the ethics of Asian modernity". International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, Vol 12, Issue 11, 2025, Pages 165-169
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