With the rise of industrial capitalism in Europe and the related imposition of colonial rule in much of East Asia, both Europe and East Asia have intertwined histories that continue to shape their political thinking and political decision making. The contemporary interactions of the two regions ? now once again major trading partners ? will both depend upon and facilitate deeper understandings of their respective sets of national pasts. This book compares national pasts as well as the current processes of change taking place in Europe and East Asia, including the dynamics of the European Union in Europe and the re-emergence of the historical centre of China in East Asia. It argues that as the change unfolds in the economic, social and political fields, the various national pasts embedded with the polities of the two regions will also need to be revisited and reworked. This book makes an invaluable contribution to research on comparative politics, as well as studies on South East Asia and Europe.

With the rise of industrial capitalism in Europe and the related imposition of colonial rule in much of East Asia, both Europe and East Asia have intertwined histories that continue to shape their political thinking and political decision making. The contemporary interactions of the two regions - now once again major trading partners - will both depend upon and facilitate deeper understandings of their respective sets of national pasts. This book compares national pasts as well as the current processes of change taking place in Europe and East Asia, including the dynamics of the European Union in Europe and the re-emergence of the historical centre of China in East Asia. It argues that as the change unfolds in the economic, social and political fields, the various national pasts embedded with the polities of the two regions will also need to be revisited and reworked. This book makes an invaluable contribution to research on comparative politics, as well as studies on South East Asia and Europe.

This text provides a wide-ranging overview of the development experience of Japan within Pacific Asia and the wider global political system.

P W Preston maps Japan's shift into the modern world through a series of breaks in which Japanese polity was embedded within the wider dynamics of political-cultural and geo-economic change in the developing global system. He then charts Japan's particular development experience through four distinct historical phases before exploring the major issues in the study of modern Japan. The book examines the prospects for an increasingly integrated regional bloc in Pacific Asia in relation to the United States and the European Union.

A number of underlying themes include the intellectually contested nature of Pacific Asia, the extent to which it is possible to speak of a distinctive model of development, and the implications of Japan's rise to regional and global power for future political and policy analysis.

Understanding Modern Japan will be essential reading for all students and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of the contemporary Japan, Pacific Asia and the dynamics of global politics more broadly.

This interdisciplinary book overviews political and cultural identity in the context of changes across the political landscape. These changes - from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the recent Islamic revival - have profoundly altered the received ideas that define political cultures throughout the world. In this context the author draws together the diverse strands of literature to throw light on the impact on identity of a changing global environment. Peter Preston analyzes political, cultural and economic identities which lie at the centre of individual actions and social structure. This analysis is fleshed out by a detailed examination of specific regional cases, including: the realignment of Europe; the sharp rise of Pacific Asia; and the Americas after NAFTA.