Nationalisms of Japan: Managing and Mystifying Identity

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Rowman & Littlefield, 2004 - History - 333 pages
In this fresh and original analysis, Brian J. McVeigh confronts both the demonizers and apologists of Japan. He argues persuasively that far from being unique, Japanese nationalism becomes demystified once 'management' and 'mysticism'--the same processes and practices that operate in other national states--are taken into account. Stripping away Orientalist-inspired misconceptions, the author stresses the variety and relative intensity of nationalisms, ranging from economic, ethnic, and educational to cultural, gendered, and religious. He moves beyond state-centered ideologies to explore the linkages between official and popular nationalisms and the complex interplay of ethnocultural, ethnopolitical, and ethnoracial forms of identity. The ambiguity and everydayness of nationalism, McVeigh contends, explain its enduring power. He concludes that modern Japan is imbued with a deeply rooted legacy of 'renovationism' or 'reform nationalism' that accounts for its streamlined state structures, guarded economic nationalism, and highly scrutinized relationship with the rest of the world. Highlighting the pluralism of identity among Japanese, this book will be an invaluable corrective to recent works that glibly proclaim the emergence of 'globalization, ' 'internationalization, ' and 'convergence.'
 

Contents

Introduction
3
The Ambiguity Domains and Degrees of Nationalism
23
Historical Background of Japans Nationalisms
40
Renovationist Nationalism The SelfReinforcing Logic of Modernity and Japaneseness
56
Nationalizing the State and Statizing the Nation
82
Economic Nationalism Developmentalism and Capitalist Nationalism
99
Educational Nationalism Reproducing Educational Dualism
128
Ethnos Nationalism State Nation and Race in a House of Mirrors
147
Gendered Nationalism Producing Good WivesWise Mothers
219
Mainstream and Marginal Nationalism The Paradox of Japaneseness in the Mahikari Religious Movement
240
Japans Legacy of Modernity and Issues of Citizenship
259
Internationalism Extranationalism and Renovationism
273
Types of Corporations and Their Relevant Laws
285
Procedure for Establishing a PublicService Corporation
287
Organization of Corporations
289
Bibliography
291

State Cultural Nationalism Cultural PolicyAestheticizing the Nation and Nationalizing Aesthetics
165
Popular Cultural Nationalism Linking Ethnos Aesthetics Citizenship and Progress
185
Postimperial Ethnos Nationalism Homogeneity Uniqueness and Peace
203
Index
319
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (2004)

Brian J. McVeigh teaches Japanese anthropology in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona.

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