Heart of the Japanese Empire: Stories of the Forgotten, 1908–1939
14.99 €
In stock
Heart of the Japanese Empire: Stories of the Forgotten, 1908–1939
14.99 €
The construction of nation-states and powerful maritime powers never leaves a mark on their people. Empire, sweeping everything in its path, subjugates, erases boundaries, and consigns inconvenient facts to oblivion. However, there are always those who refuse to keep pace with this merciless march of conquest—and as punishment, they find themselves on the sidelines of history, deprived not only of personal freedom but also of the opportunity to be heard. Their bodies are turned into instruments, and their homelands into staging areas for the assertion of the metropolis's authority and the ruthless exploitation of natural resources.
Japan in the first half of the 20th century, obsessed with grandiose imperial ambitions and pursuing an aggressive expansionist policy in East Asia, is a vivid example of this. Wendy Matsumura aims to restore voices to those forgotten in its dark past: the people of Korea and Okinawa, forcibly displaced and subjected to political persecution; women from the peasant class, who lost their right to choose and bodily autonomy; and the burakumin, former untouchables, who continued to face discrimination even after the abolition of their humiliating legal status. This book combines poignant personal testimonies and previously unpublished archival documents with a profound historical analysis grounded in the latest advances in postcolonial theory.
Japan in the first half of the 20th century, obsessed with grandiose imperial ambitions and pursuing an aggressive expansionist policy in East Asia, is a vivid example of this. Wendy Matsumura aims to restore voices to those forgotten in its dark past: the people of Korea and Okinawa, forcibly displaced and subjected to political persecution; women from the peasant class, who lost their right to choose and bodily autonomy; and the burakumin, former untouchables, who continued to face discrimination even after the abolition of their humiliating legal status. This book combines poignant personal testimonies and previously unpublished archival documents with a profound historical analysis grounded in the latest advances in postcolonial theory.
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