‘One of the reasons I love history is the power of perspective it provides,’ says Professor Charles Schencking FAHA.
A Professor of History at the University of Hong Kong and previously a British Academy postdoctoral Fellow, Professor Schencking has held appointments at the University of Tokyo, Rikkyō University, the University of Kyoto, and Murdoch University.
His current research focuses on international humanitarianism foreign aid efforts of the 20th-century, particularly natural disasters.
‘My current book project is entitled America’s Tsunami of Aid. In it, I explore a fundamental question of 20th century humanity: why do we give to distant sufferers in need?’
‘Are we motivated by altruism, opportunism, love, familiarity, expectations, obligation, compassion, empathy, trust, pride, narcissism, or fear? What do givers expect in return, even when they pronounce that aid is given with no strings attached?’
Schencking particularly draws from the response following Japan’s 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake which struck the Kantō Plain on Saturday 1 September at approximately 12pm. New radio technologies allowed the news of the disaster to disseminate quickly — including across oceans — and foreign aid flowed quickly.
‘America responded like never before or ever since to an overseas natural disaster,’ says Professor Schencking. ‘Americans from all classes, regions, backgrounds, and religions gave in response to what was heralded by the chairman of the American Red Cross as the “supreme helpful opportunity of our generation”.’
‘Cash, food, clothing, medical supplies, mobile hospitals, fuel, steel sheets and lumber were collected and given to Japan. As a percentage of gross domestic product, the total value of America’s generosity given in 1923 has never been matched following any subsequent overseas natural disaster, even after the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.’
The earthquake, and the subsequent fires sparked in its wake, was ultimately responsible for 105,385 deaths. The disaster fuelled racial tensions in the area, and immediately led to the Kantō massacre, in which approximately 6,000 Koreans, as well as Chinese, and Japanese speakers of regional dialects, were killed by civilians and the local police force.
The massacre sparked interventions by the Japanese government to develop public awareness campaigns about the importance of using radio to gain accurate information during times of natural disaster. In the years since, trust in radio during earthquakes and natural disasters has grown and, in 2024, a survey found that radio was more trusted than TV or social media.
Using the past to inform our choices today
‘Even as we face an era of increasing populism today, humanitarianism and the distribution of foreign aid remain global activities that embody diplomacy, economy, politics, media and communications, emotions and expectations,’ says Professor Schencking.
‘Are the questions we ask about past humanitarian engagements still relevant today? I definitely think so. Do they help us understand why we give foreign aid, or give more, to some overseas sufferers, than to others today? Yes.’
‘Along with teaching us the importance of perspective, history also possesses many utilitarian qualities. I love history’s vitality.’
‘At its core, history is a discipline that allows us to gain perspective on humanity and society,’ he continues. ‘As any investor knows, past performance doesn’t predict future results. But it certainly can help enrich our understanding and inform our choices today.’
‘The humanities challenge us to ask questions and to reflect, they reward us for being curious and perseverant, and allow us to express our ideas and emotions through art, music, writing, and inventions. Just imagine a world without humanities? I can’t, it would be a nightmare.’
The freedom to pursue curiosities
‘My interest in history, Japanese language, speech, and music began in high school and crystalized when I went to Japan as an exchange student in 1988,’ continues Professor Schencking.
‘Being uprooted from a small town in Washington state and transplanted in Yokohama at the very height of the Japanese “bubble” — a time of significant economic development for Japan from 1986 to 1991 — certainly confirmed all that my teachers had told me: a world existed beyond what I knew, and I loved it.’
‘I completed my university education across Western Washington University, the University of Hawaii and finally, Cambridge, where I graduated with my PhD.’
Professor Shencking’s research and teaching interests are heavily influenced by a desire to better understand humanity through the discipline of history.
‘I can’t really think of many other professions that would allow me the freedom to pursue my curiosities, to conduct research, and to share my findings with students, peers, and friends. It’s exhilarating and continues to inspire me.’
When asked about one thing that excites him in his field now, Professor Schencking said that there was ‘far too many things to enumerate!’
‘One that stands out is the truly transnational nature of scholarship today and its importance in helping us understand humanity,’ he offers. ‘Since homo sapiens migrated “out of” the Rift Valley, we have interacted with others, with those who see the world, humanity, and the heavens differently than us, with animals and plants, and the environment. We have moved to seek better food and water, or a better climate, out of curiosity, for profit or fame, to conquer others, to flee from others, through enslavement, or because of family, and these interactions have influenced, and continue to shape, humanity.’
‘Scholarship with a transnational focus comes closest to capturing these movements and the war, diplomacy, exchanges, relationships, developments, discoveries, and environmental awareness that have come with mobility and interaction. Our history is so extraordinary and so worth studying.’
