James Bartholomew

James Bartholomew is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of History at The Ohio State University, where he served for more than 30 years before retiring in 2012. A specialist in modern Japanese history, his chief research interests focus on the history of science, medicine, higher education, and business in Japan. He earned his B.A. in 1963, M.A. in 1964, and Ph.D. in 1972, all from Stanford University. Bartholomew's seminal work, The Formation of Science in Japan: Building a Research Tradition (Yale University Press, 1989), which examines Japan's development of scientific research traditions from 1868 to 1921 amid its feudal background and adoption of Western advancements, received the 1992 Pfizer Award from the History of Science Society. A paperback edition appeared in 1993. His earlier publication, Japanese Culture and the Problem of Modern Science (Humanities Press, 1974), further established his contributions to understanding cultural dimensions of scientific modernization in Japan. Bartholomew conducted extensive research on Meiji-era scientists, including chemists, physicians, pharmacists, engineers, foresters, agriculturists, architects, and educators who advanced Japan's modernization during 1868-1911.

Bartholomew's distinguished career includes major fellowships: a National Science Foundation research fellowship in 1985-1986, a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for research in History at the University of Tokyo in 1995-1996, and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 2001 to write on Japan and the Nobel science prizes from 1901-1949. He received the Ohio State University Department of History Faculty Award in 2005 for teaching excellence. As a leader in the history of Japanese science, he trained numerous scholars and delivered plenary sessions, such as on cultures of science. Bartholomew donated distinctive materials on the history of science, including works on figures like Aoyama Tanemichi, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Shibata Yūji, to the Ohio State University Libraries' Japanese Studies collection, enhancing resources for research on modern Japan. His work has profoundly influenced scholarship on science, technology, and medicine in modern Japanese history.

Professional Email: bartholomew.5@osu.edu