Rethinking Japan's Modernity: Stories and Translations (Harvard East Asian Monographs) - Hardcover

Steele, M. William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674297563 ISBN 13: 9780674297562

Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center, 2024

Synopsis

History is not one story, but many. In Rethinking Japan’s Modernity, M. William Steele takes a new look at the people, places, and events associated with Japan’s engagement with modernity, starting with American Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival in Japan in 1853. In many cases, this new look derives from visual sources, such as popular broadsheets, satirical cartoons, ukiyo-e and other woodblock prints, postcards, and photographs. The book illustrates the diverse, and sometimes conflicting, perceptions of people who experienced the unfolding of modern Japan. It focuses both on the experiences of people living the events “at that time” and on the reflections of others looking back. Also included are three new translations―two of them by Japan’s pioneer Westernizer, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and another by Mantei Ōga―parodying Fukuzawa’s monumental work advocating Western learning. These and other stories show how Japanese views of modernity evolved over time. Each chapter is prefaced with a short introduction to the topic covered and historiographical approach taken, allowing each to stand alone as well as support the overall goal of the work―to inform and challenge our understanding of the links between Japan’s past, present, and future.

About this title

About the Author

M. William Steele is Professor Emeritus of Japanese History at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674297563
• ISBN 13: 9780674297562
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 372