The Birth of East Asian Modern Entrepreneurship: The Case of Soy Sauce Making, ca. 1880-1960

Professor Leung, Ki Che Angela   (Principal Investigator (PI))

Dr Nakayama Izumi   (Co-Investigator)

36

2018-10-01

553284

The Birth of East Asian Modern Entrepreneurship: The Case of Soy Sauce Making, ca. 1880-1960

E. Asian soy sauce enterprises, East Asia defined by soy sauce, Food institutions and state, Modern E. Asian entrepreneurs, Modern E.Asian food technology

History

Humanities & Social Sciences (H)

17612218

General Research Fund (GRF)

2018

Completed

1) To trace the transformation of traditional soy sauce from a home- or community-made, handicraft product to an industrial one with modern mechanical and chemical technologies in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan) from 1880-1960. To explore technological choices that increased production to industrial scale, enhanced hygienic standards and reduced production time and costs; 2) To explore the emergence and background of soy sauce entrepreneurs by studying the first successful global enterprises, focusing on their technological decisions, their marketing strategies, labor organization in face of increasing competition in a growing global market. Regional differences will be highlighte; 3) To study the changing role of the modern East Asian state and related institutions (tariff and taxation systems, universities, research institutions, vocational schools, training programs etc.) in soy sauce making, and the training and impact of new state agents (scientists, technocrats, institutions) on the development of new soy sauce industries; 4) To explore how new soy sauce making technologies transformed traditional values attributed to a product defined by its nutritional content, smell, color, and taste, branding, packaging, local character, ""authenticity"" etc. that reflect both regional coherence and differences. In other words, to analyze what modern soy sauce has ""gained"" or ""lost"" in cultural and dietetic terms after being technologically transformed into a modern product. This issue is central in the construction of soy sauce today as a ""cultural heritage"" product, a genuine, ""traditional"" East Asian food to be distinguished from the ""fake"" or the ""chemical""; 5) To prepare working papers on the topic and a book manuscript on the history of soy sauce enterprises in modern East Asia TWO YEARS after the completion of archival and field research.