The Blue-Eyed Enemy: Japan against the West in Java and Luzon, 1942-1945 (Princeton Legacy Library, 908) - Hardcover

Friend, Theodore

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691632227 ISBN 13: 9780691632223

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2016

Synopsis

The Blue-Eyed Enemy is a comprehensive account of the interwoven histories of the three major archipelago-nations of the West Pacific during the years of the Second World War. Theodore Friend examines Japanese colonialism in Indonesia and the Philippines as an example of recurring patterns of domination and repression in that region. He depicts Japanese rule in Greater East Asia as expressive of the folly of the general who exhorted his troops "to annihilate the blue-eyed enemy and their black slaves." At the same time he clearly shows where the return of Western power aimed at new links between conqueror and conquered, or lords and bondsmen. Throughout the work one encounters an infectious sympathy for those afflicted by imperialism and racism from whatever source, at whatever time.

The book is based on documentary research in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as in the United States and the Netherlands, and on over one hundred interviews with major actors and key observers of the era. The analysis balances an eclectic use of social science perspectives with a humanistic concreteness, and leads to new understanding of leaders like Sukarno and Hatta, Jose P. Laurel and Benigno Aquino, Sr., and Generals Yamashita and MacArthur. As comparative tropical history, it elucidates the contrasting cultural traditions and political psychologies of Indonesia and the Philippines and explains why 1945 was a year of dramatic contrast: "reoccupation" and revolution for the first country, and "liberation" and restoration for the latter.

Originally published in 1988.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

About this title

About the Author:

Theodore Friend, former President of Swarthmore College, and President Emeritus of Eisenhower Fellowships, is now a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Philadelphia. He was awarded the Bancroft Prize for his book on Philippine-American history, "Between Two Empires". His other books include "The Blue-Eyed Enemy" and "Family Laundry", a novel.

From Library Journal:

The contrast between the Philippines and Indonesia as their colonization ended is clearly illustrated in their reactions to Japanese occupation in World War II. Relatively insignificant to the American economy, and promised independence by the U.S government, the Philippines resisted the invading Japanese and therefore welcomed the returning Americans. Indonesiaonce important to the Dutch economyhad suffered under colonial rule and welcomed the Japanese. This extensively researched and scholarly work, which draws on primary and secondary sources and reflects a command of political, sociological, and cultural theory, is highly recommended for subject area collections. Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib. Durham, N.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0691632227
• ISBN 13: 9780691632223
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 364