Deconstructing Nationality

Slowly, the postwar notion that Japan is a monolithic society is moving to where it belongs, among the many myths Western society has about East Asia. But how might this myth be historicized? In this collection of essays sponsored by the East Asia Program at Cornell University, Japanese and American contributors offer their thoughts on how the concept of "Japan" can be moved beyond the geopolitical and ideological boundaries set under the Cold War. Topics of the nine essays include nationalism and colonialism, with studies on the analysis of difference in the "Island People," Japanese emigrants and Korea under the Japanese empire, cultural imperialism, and the critique of orientalism; nationality and representation, with studies on women and narrative, the case of Takamura Kotaro, and Maruyama Masao; and contemporary nationality, including the impact of the modern world system on the nations of the periphery and language, communicability and the national subject. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)