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Abstract:
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This dissertation examines the efforts of Pacific internationalists in the years during and after World War II to forge private intellectual connections between the West and Asia . One of the most prominent groups in this movement was the Institute of Pacific Relations (1925 -61 ) , an international non -governmental organization that nurtured a trans -Pacific community of scholars , businessmen and diplomats through research projects and international conferences . In evaluating the work of these internationalists during the postwar period , this dissertation challenges conventional Cold War historiography that has marginalized such cooperative efforts during these years . Previous scholarship concerning the Institute of Pacific Relations has noted the way in which the organization fell victim to anti -communist politics in the United States , yet no studies have examined the records of its postwar conferences , which reveal an active international agenda well into the 1950s . The support of Asian members for such trans -Pacific ties , moreover , provides a counter -narrative to the story of revolutionary nationalism and third -world solidarity among emerging Asian and African countries during this period . The Institute of Pacific Relations acted as a valuable asset in the struggle for the “mind of Asia ,” this dissertation argues , largely because its leadership did not conform to the prevailing Cold War mindset . As a private international organization , the IPR provided a venue for unofficial dialogue among private elites who at once confronted and transcended the geopolitical restrictions of their time . In maintaining private East -West partnerships through such turbulent years , these Pacific internationalists set the stage for regional cooperative ventures to flourish later in the twentieth century . |