Cultural Internationalism and World Order by Akira Iriye

Cultural Internationalism and World Order by Akira Iriye

As the 19th century became the 20th and the dangers of rampant nationalism became more evident, people throughout the world embraced the idea that a new spirit of internationalism might be fostered by better communication and understanding among nations. Cultural internationalism came into its own after the end of World War I, when intellectuals and artists realized that one way of forging a stable and lasting international peace was to encourage international cultural exchange and cooperation. In "Cultural Internationalism and World Order", noted historian Akira Iriye shows how widespread and serious a following this idea had. He describes a surprising array of efforts to foster cooperation, from the creation of an international language, to student exchange programmes, to international lecture circuits, and other cultural activities. But he does not overlook the tensions the movement encountered with the real politics of the day, including the events leading up to World Wars I and II, the extreme nationalism of Germany and Japan, and the cold war after World War II. Iriye concludes that the effort of cultural internationalism can only be appreciated in the context of world politics. A lasting and stable world order, he argues, depends upon the open exchange of cultures and peoples.

"Akira Iriye discusses the origins of what he calls 'cultural internationalism' and the tensions that arose in the countervailing forces of nationalism prior to both World WarsTo prevent a resurgence of the militarism of cultural nationalists, which has wrecked such havoc in this century, he makes a compelling argument about the need to tear down cultural walls rather than build them up."--'International Journal' "Iriye argues that the traditional understanding of international relations as competition for power and wealth, and the consequent shunting aside of cultural issues as a matter for woolly-headed idealists, needs to be rethought. His history of cultural internationalism--that is, the attempt to build cultural understanding, cooperation, and a sense of shared values across national borders through student exchanges, lectures, and the like--shows that it has been a constant feature of twentieth-century international relations."--'Foreign Affairs' "Iriye has added a quiet (and overdue) polemic for liberal values. He forces us to consider the importance of environmentalists, journalists, students, artists, scholars, and musicians who flow between cultures, mitigating the rhetoric of national leaders and the menacing accumulation of troops and arms."'--Times Higher Education Supplement'

Akira Iriye is professor in the Department of History at Harvard University. His many books include 'The Globalizing of America', 'Across the Pacific: An Inner History of American-East Asian Relations', and 'China and Japan in the Global Setting'.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780801854576
ISBN 10	0801854571
Title	Cultural Internationalism and World Order
Author	Akira Iriye
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Johns Hopkins University Press
Year published	1997-03-18
Number of pages	216
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.