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Here is the context (from here):

At the time, Japan was emerging as a center for Pan Asianist ideology. The Pan Asianists wanted to rectify what they saw as an unjust international system. Some wanted to articulate the experiences of non-Western people. Others wanted to establish Japan's leadership in Asia by pushing Western powers from the region.

I know what words articulate and experience mean in isolation, but I'm struggling to figure out what is the message conveyed here.

Maybe it is about "them wanting to disseminate, spread information about the poor, underprivileged circumstances the asians were subject to throughout the colonial period"?

I don't know if we should interpret articulate as disseminate or spread, though.

Thanks!

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"Articulate" means to put into words. Basiscally, to talk about.

Some wanted to talk about the experiences of non-Western people.

It tends to be used in more formal speech and with a purposeful statement in mind. An exmaple in which I have seen the word used in modern speech is in the workplace - some business management models teach that managers should "articulate their expectations", which is a formal way of saying "say what you want".

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  • Thanks! I just need clarification on "formal speech and purposeful statement": Whether you're referring to where articulate is used (in formal speech like in this news story) or the act of articulating itself (to talk about in a formal way)
    – Ricardo Baptista
    Commented May 14, 2020 at 14:47
  • @RicardoBaptista It's not a polite formality that is being mentioned here. It is a "I'm demonstrating my educational background" formality. Some wanted to articulate the experiences of non-Western people. could have easily been written Some wanted to show the abuse of non-Western people. But it takes more work to follow articulate the experience because "the experience" is implied as "abuse" from the previous sentence, and articulate isn't clear on how the words get to their listeners.
    – Edwin Buck
    Commented Mar 30, 2021 at 0:21

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