Namba, Chizuru

France once possessed numerous colonies across the world, and my research focuses specifically on the nature of colonial rule in Indochina. During the Second World War, Japan was also stationed in the region, giving rise to the unusual situation of joint governance by France and Japan. In recent years, the study of French colonial history has developed dynamically from a variety of perspectives. Within this broader field, I am particularly interested in human mobility—not only within the colony, but also between the metropole and the colony, as well as across colonies—and in environmental issues, especially forest governance. I focus on these themes because patterns of human mobility played a significant role both in the consolidation of colonial rule and in the processes of decolonization. At the same time, the natural environment—while exerting a profound influence on the organization of society—remains an element that cannot be fully controlled by human actors. For this reason, I believe it raises fundamental questions for understanding the nature of colonial rule.

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