Postwar Japan as History

by Andrew Gordon

Japan's catapult to world economic power has inspired many studies by social scientists, but few have looked at the 45 years of postwar Japan through the lens of history. The contributors to this book seek to offer such a view. As they examine three related themes of postwar history, the authors describe an ongoing historical process marked by unexpected changes, such as Japan's extraordinary economic growth, and unanticipated continuities, such as the endurance of conservative rule. A provocative set of interpretative essays by eminent scholars, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century Japan and the dilemmas facing Japan today.

Genres: Japan, History, Japanese History, Japanese Literature, Nonfiction, Academic

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

A specialist in the history of modern Japan, Andrew Gordon is the Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History at Harvard University. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1981 in History and East Asian Languages after completing a B.A. from Harvard in 1975.

Reviews

[Gramarye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of articles about the history, politics, and sociologiy of postwar Japan, written and published in the early 1990s. Most of the articles have stood the test of time -- hardly surprising with contributions from well-regarded scholars such as John Dower and and Marilyn Ivy. Carol Gluck's tightly written assessment of Japan's approach to its own postwar history is particularly worthy of note.

[Benemint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like an intellectual buffet. Taste different things as many or few as you want! Gordon's conclusion is a great summary so take a look at it first to shop which articles you want to read.

[Chelsea Szendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of some of the best scholars in the Japan field grappling with the major issues emerging in writing postwar Japan as history.