Rethinking Japan's modernity : stories and translations /
"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,...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English Japanese |
| Language Notes: | English, with some text in Japanese. |
| Published: |
Cambridge, Massachusetts :
Harvard University Asia Center,
2024.
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| Series: | Harvard East Asian monographs ;
473. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | "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 people looking back. Also included are three new primary translations, two of them by Japan's pioneer Westernizer, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and another a harsh rebuttal of Fukuzawa's "encouragement of 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 the chapter to stand alone as well as support the overall goal of the book -- to inform and challenge our understanding of the links between Japan's past, present, and future."-- |
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| Item Description: | Includes material previously published in English or Japanese. |
| Physical Description: | xvi, 352 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780674297562 0674297563 |