A History of Nationalism in Modern Japan

This magisterial history of Japanese nationalism reveals nationalism to be a contested and pluralistic practice that seeks to center the people in political life. It presents a wealth of primary source material on how Japanese themselves have understood their national identity.

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This volume provides a systematic overview of the debates over Japanese national identity and nationalism from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present. It presumes that nationalism is a particular form of identity-politics and as such it foregrounds national identity as it has been articulated by influential Japanese intellectuals. Building on theories that situate nationalism as a mode of politicizing the people, this study presents Japanese nationalism as a contestory practice that positions “the people” as what the nation is and what nationalism seeks to achieve. The body of the text is composed of chapters that explore key sites where this practice has been particularly intense and influential (kokumin, minzoku, shakai, tenno).

Originally published in hardcover.