Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary Japan - 9780415071192

Taylor & Francis

Illuminates the debate about Japan's `uniqueness', looking at modern agents of cultural nationalism and going on to test general theories of ethnicity with Japan as a case study. Focuses on the new role of the Japanese business community. > \nThe debate about Japan's 'uniqueness' is central to Japanese studies. This book aims to illuminate that debate from a comparative and theoretical perspective. It also tests theories of ethnicity and cultural nationalism through the use of Japan as a case study.\nYoshino examines how ideas of national distinctiveness are `produced' and `consumed' in Japanese society through a study of intellectuals, teachers and businessmen. He finds that ideas of Japanese uniqueness, the nihonjinron, have been embraced more by those in business than in education. He looks at the Japanese perception of their own 'uniqueness' and at the ways in which ideas of cultural distinctiveness are formulated in different national and historical contexts.\nThis extremely a