Masaki Sato - Appointed in AY2019
Participant Profile
Masaki Sato
Colonial History of the Andes, (Latin America)2005: Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo 2008: Completed the Master's Program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo 2014: Withdrew from the Doctoral Programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, after completing course requirements After serving as a part-time lecturer at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Nihon University, and other institutions, assumed his current position in April 2019. *Profile and position are as of the time of the interview.
Masaki Sato
Colonial History of the Andes, (Latin America)2005: Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo 2008: Completed the Master's Program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo 2014: Withdrew from the Doctoral Programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, after completing course requirements After serving as a part-time lecturer at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Nihon University, and other institutions, assumed his current position in April 2019. *Profile and position are as of the time of the interview.
Find what you find interesting through trial and error on campus
My Research Theme and How I Discovered It
I've loved history since I was a child, but what led me to choose the South American Andes region was a video game I encountered in junior high school. It was a historical simulation where you lived as a navigator in the age of Columbus. Although I wasn't aware of it at the time, it was richly detailed, with researchers involved in the historical verification. The "empires" of the Old and New Worlds, such as Spain and the Aztec or Inca, encountered each other with almost no knowledge of one another. I believe the very beginning of my interest was imagining what that experience must have been like while I was playing.
The Appeal and Fascination of My Research Theme
Currently, I am researching the history of the 17th-century Andes after Spain destroyed the Inca Empire. Specifically, to answer the question of how the Spanish were able to maintain their rule in the distant Andes for nearly 300 years, I am examining how the various institutions of colonial governance were operated on the ground in the Andes. One of the many attractions of studying the colonial history of the Andes, which I'd like to mention here, is how historical source limitations broaden research methods. This refers to the fact that because the survival rate of written documents is poor, research activities to approach the past inevitably extend into neighboring fields of history, such as archaeology and linguistics. In addition to the inherent interest of the theme itself, I feel it is a stimulating field in terms of the approaches to how one delves deeper into that theme.
A Message for Students
You may be tired of hearing this, but your time as a student is a precious period when you can study as much as you like. I hope you will make full use of this time. First, "sample" various classes according to your interests to find a field of study that resonates with you and that you find interesting. (I think it's fine to drop a class if it's boring, but for required courses, make sure you get the credits.) Through this process, I hope you can begin to outline what you can become passionate about. Even if it doesn't turn out to be academics, just discovering that is a great achievement. I hope you enjoy the process of trial and error on campus, and I want to support you in it.
(Interview conducted in December 2019)