Japan
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Japan by Patrick Smith
Current Affairs/Asian Studies Winner of the Overseas Press Club Award for the best book on Foreign AffairsA New York Times Notable Book of the year A stimulating, provocative book . . . fresh and valuable.
--The New York Times Book Review In 1868, Japan abruptly transformed itself from a feudal society into a modern industrial state. In 1945, the Japanese switched just as swiftly from imperialism and emperor-worship to a democracy. Today, argues Patrick Smith, Japan is in the midst of equally sudden and important change. In this award-winning book, Smith offers a groundbreaking framework for understanding the Japan of the next millennium. This time, Smith asserts, Japan's transformation is one of consciousness--a reconception by the Japanese of their country and themselves. Drawing on the voices of Japanese artists, educators, leaders, and ordinary citizens, Smith reveals a hidden history that challenges the West's focus on Japan as a successfully modernized country. And it is through this unacknowledged history that he shows why the Japanese live in a dysfunctional system that marginalizes women, dissidents, and indigenous peoples; why the corporate warrior is a myth; and why the presence of 47,000 American troops persists as a holdover from a previous era. The future of Japan, Smit suggests, lies in its citizens' ability to create new identities and possibilities for themselves--so creating a nation where individual rights matter as much as collective economic success. Authoritative, rich in detail, Japan: A Re-interpretation is our first post-Cold War account of the Japanese and a timely guide to a society whose transformation will have a profound impact on the rest of the world in the coming years. Excellent . . . a penetrating examination.
--International Herald Tribune
Patrick Smith is the host of www.askthepilot.com and a New York Times bestselling author, airline pilot, and air travel writer. He has traveled to over 70 places and always requests a window seat. He resides in the Massachusetts town of Somerville.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780679745112 |
| ISBN 10 | 0679745114 |
| Title | Japan |
| Author | Patrick Smith |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Random House USA Inc |
| Year published | 1998-09-29 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Prizes | Winner of Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize 1997, Winner of Overseas Press Club Book Award. |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |