Description
The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese History is a concise overview of modern Japanese history from the middle of the nineteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. Written by a group of international historians, each an authority in his or her field, the book covers modern Japanese history in an accessible yet comprehensive manner. The subjects featured in the book range from the development of the political system and matters of international relations, to social and economic history and gender issues, to post-war discussions about modern Japan’s historical trajectory and its wartime past. Divided into thematic parts, the sections include:
- Nation, empire and borders
- Ideologies and the political system
- Economy and society
- Historical legacies and memory
Each chapter outlines important historiographical debates and controversies, summarizes the latest developments in the field, and identifies research topics that have not yet received sufficient scholarly attention. As such, the book will be useful to students and scholars of Japanese history, Asian history and Asian Studies.
Table of Contents
Chronology
Part I Nation, empire, borders
1. Japan in the global twentieth century, Akira Iriye
2. Alliances and enmities: Relations with Great Britain and Europe, Antony Best
3. Japan and Asia, Christopher W. A. Szpilman and Sven Saaler
4. Unequal treaties, consular jurisdiction, and treaty port society, Harald Fuess
5. The English-language press networks in the transnational history of East Asia, 1850–1950, Peter O’Connor
6. Japan’s colonial empire, Sandra Wilson and Robert Cribb
7. Race and racism, Rotem Kowner
8. Overseas migration, 1868–1945, Martin Dusinberre
9. Ryukyu/Okinawa’s trajectory – from periphery to centre, 1600–2015, Gavan McCormack
Part II Ideologies and the political system
10. From Edo to Meiji: The public sphere and political criticism in nineteenth-century Japan, Matsuda Kōichirō
11. State Shinto, Kate Wildman Nakai
12. Conservatism and conservative reaction, Christopher W. A. Szpilman
13. The military and politics, Sven Saaler
14. Liberalism, internationalism, and democracy, Michael A. Schneider
15. The bureaucracy and politics, Roger H. Brown
16. The debate on fascism in Japanese historiography, Katō Yōko
17. Japan’s 1930s: crisis, fascism, and social imperialism, Ethan Mark
18. Japan’s war of words: World War II propaganda, Barak Kushner
Part III Economy and society
19. The path of economic development from the late nineteenth century to the economic miracle, Penelope Francks
20. The yen – Japan’s national currency, Mark Ravina
21. Urban life and the city idea in the twentieth century, Louise Young
22. Cooperatives and grassroots developments, Tessa Morris-Suzuki
23. The emergence of trade unions, Christopher Gerteis
24. The postwar employment system, Charles Weathers
25. Genders, sexualities and bodies in modern Japanese history, Vera Mackie
26. Religion in the postwar era, Ian Reader
27. Washoku, heritage and national identity, Katarzyna J. Cwiertka
28. Environmental history, Philip C. Brown
Part IV Historical legacies and memory
29. Debates over historical consciousness, Yoshida Yutaka
30. History and the state in postwar Japan, Hatano Sumio
31. The politics of Yasukuni Shrine and war memory, Jeff Kingston
