Akunin’s (post)colonial mobility between Russia and Japan: transportation, culture, and history

Abstract

From the perspective of mobility studies, Boris Akunin's The Diamond Chariot, a novel in the bestselling Erast Fandorin series, is a text worth examining as it highlights mobility on multiple levels. Consisting of two volumes - the first set in Russia 1905 and the second in Japan in 1878 - the novel follows the main character's move from Russia to Japan. While seemingly employing clich & eacute;s associated with the Western traveler's colonialist gaze, the novel uses Fandorin's remarkable mobility across time and space to evoke both culture shock and cultural empathy, further addressing issues of history and international relations. Although the hero's initial response to Japanese culture exhibits signs of Orientalism, I argue that his interactions with Eastern Others (his yakuza-turned-valet and his courtesan/ninja lover) illustrate his evolution into a cultural hybrid, thereby challenging the colonialist paradigm. Rather than reinforcing colonial stereotypes of the East, Fandorin's adventures, which transcend not only temporal and spatial boundaries but also cultural and historical divisions, ultimately present a new kind of Russian hero. The novel's postcolonial sensitivities equip Fandorin for a world that closely resembles that of Akunin's present-day readers, fostering political awareness and cross-cultural understanding.