Encyclopedias are purportedly all-encompassing, authoritative presentations of information compiled mainly by experts for an audience of non-specialists. Believed to offer only universal ‘facts’, they have long been associated with objectivity. Yet, by arranging information into a usable form, encyclopedias inevitably convey particular ideologies and ideals. As a result, they offer a lens into the changing ‘truths’ upheld by or expected of readers. This article compares three successive, high-profile Japanese encyclopedias, each bearing the title Sekai bunkashi taikei [Encyclopedia of world cultural history]. Somewhat differently from today, the field of world cultural history purported to ‘objectively’ cover the widest relevant space (earth) and time (the human past). However, the specific concerns and commitments of world cultural historians changed greatly between the 1920s, when the first encyclopedia was published, and the 1960s, when the final volumes of the third series appeared. By looking closely at both the production and consumption of these texts, this article shows the deeply politicized ways in which ‘objective’ knowledge of the world was interpreted, implemented, marketed, and received by the Japanese public during the years of nation-building, imperial expansionism, and the Cold War.

中文翻译：

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认识论练习：20世纪日本世界文化史百科全书

百科全书据称是包罗万象的、权威的信息介绍，主要由专家为非专业观众编写。被认为只提供普遍的“事实”，它们长期以来一直与客观性联系在一起。然而，通过将信息整理成可用的形式，百科全书不可避免地传达了特定的意识形态和理想。因此，它们提供了一个视角，了解读者所支持或期望的不断变化的“真相”。本文比较了三个连续的、备受瞩目的日本百科全书，每一个都带有标题世界文化大计[世界文化史百科全书]。与今天有所不同的是，世界文化史领域声称“客观地”涵盖了最广泛的相关空间（地球）和时间（人类过去）。然而，在 1920 年代第一部百科全书出版和 1960 年代第三部系列的最终卷出版之间，世界文化史学家的具体关注和承诺发生了巨大变化。通过仔细研究这些文本的生产和消费，本文展示了日本公众在建国时期对世界“客观”知识的解释、实施、营销和接受的深度政治化方式，帝国扩张主义和冷战。