Exploring contemporary Okinawan culture, politics, and historical
memory, this book argues that the long Japanese tradition of
defining Okinawa as a subordinate and peripheral part of Japan
means that all claims of Okinawan distinctiveness necessarily
become part of the larger debate over contemporary identity. The
contributors trace the renascence of the debate in the burst of
cultural and political expression that has flowered in the past
decade, with the rapid growth of local museums and memorials and
the huge increase in popularity of distinctive Okinawan music and
literature, as well as in political movements targeting both U.S.
military bases and Japanese national policy on ecological,
developmental, and equity grounds. A key strategy for claiming and
shaping Okinawan identity is the mobilization of historical memory
of the recent past, particularly of the violent subordination of
Okinawan interests to those of the Japanese and American
governments in war and occupation. Its intertwining themes of
historical memory, nationality, ethnicity, and cultural conflict in
contemporary society address central issues in anthropology,
sociology, contemporary history, Asian Studies, international
relations, cultural studies, and post-colonial studies.
Contributions by: Matt Allen, Linda Isako Angst, Asato Eiko, Gerald
Figal, Aaron Gerow, Laura Hein, Michael Molasky, Steve Rabson,
James E. Roberson, Mark Selden, and Julia Yonetani.
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