Reviews for Japan and South Africa in a Globalising World: A Distant Mirror (The International Political Economy of New Regionalisms Series)

The average rating for Japan and South Africa in a Globalising World: A Distant Mirror (The International Political Economy of New Regionalisms Series) based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-05-03 00:00:00 Ronald Heiremans Like, as a corrective to hella-orientalist narratives w/r/t Japan and development in the pre-war era this is a really good and interesting book only it seems content to just say "these are things" rather than actually develop an argument per se. By which i mean there are often claims about for example (fractured agrarian labor organizing between Anarchism, Marxism, Christian sorta socialist orientations and Right Wing Nationalism) but Hane never really delves into *why* different things were compelling to people except for via first person narratives (which is a really compelling feature of this book) but also has a weird sort of devotion to abnegating violence on the part of Peasants and Workers (as ineffective) but all of the passive non-violent movements seemed as ineffectual and to end in tragedy also (it may be a better space to analyze the totality of Government in Imperial Japan rather than the "effectiveness" of different political orientations where pretty clearly Hane is *not* a fan of Marxism or Anarchism although the really strong national differences for the two are also erased as though Bolshevik Marxism was imported whole horse (which seems unlikely) Anarchism is never formulated etc.). This is sort of a weird extended nitpick but it sticks out to me since i generally do political history, anyway, the book is engrossing and has a lot of details but generally gives little context for developments or does them in a sort of grand history style before dropping into the micro in a way i found disorienting but it also is pretty committed to exposing and humanizing the "underbelly" of development and to push back against the Chrysanthemum and the Sword style orientalism. Additionally, this was pretty accessible to a non-specialists and pretty Jargon free (although some theoretical orientation may have pushed the book more towards an outcome rather than being a pile of *interesting* facts).

Review # 2 was written on 2013-02-02 00:00:00 Marissa Kula Reluctantly, I wasn't sure if I could enjoy reading this nine-chapter book, "Peasants, Rebels, and Outcastes: The Underside of Modern Japan" by Professor Mikiso Hane since it looked a bit highly-academic with innumerable references. However, I gradually found the author's style of narrative amazingly enriched by citing data/information from related various sources, that is, "… diaries, memoirs, fiction, trial testimony, personal recollections, and eyewitness accounts" (back cover); therefore, its reader simply couldn't help feeling embittered for such pityingly sad plights of those unfortunate Japanese rarely read or known from past publications. Generally, we tend to prefer reading on Japanese glory rather than on her shame. A reason is that, I think, the author has scholarly weaved a tale revealing some facts in which those concerned would learn from the past, that is, from history itself so that all sections/people wisely get more developed by eradicating such backward follies and keeping pioneering in the world as effectively moved by the Japanese wisdom and character.