Focusing on one landmark catastrophic event in the history of an emerging modern nation - the Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated Tokyo and surrounding areas in 1923 - this fascinating volume examines the history of the visual production of the disaster. The Kanto earthquake triggered cultural responses that ran the gamut from voyeuristic and macabre thrill to the romantic sublime, media spectacle to sacred space, mournful commemoration to emancipatory euphoria, and national solidarity to racist vigilantism and sociopolitical critique. Looking at photography, cinema, painting, postcards, sketching, urban planning, and even scientific visualizations, Weisenfeld demonstrates how visual culture has powerfully mediated the evolving historical understanding of this major national disaster, ultimately enfolding mourning and memory into modernization.

About the Author
Gennifer Weisenfeld is Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University and the author of Mavo: Japanese Artists and the Avant-Garde, 1905-1931 (UC Press).

Reviews
"Gorgeous and thoughtful... A wonderful and compelling book." -- Carla Nappi New Bks In East Asian Stds "This is an outstanding example of specialist scholarship that has much to offer design historians." Design History "A fascinating volume." -- Gennifer Weisenfeld Interaction "[Imaging Disaster] opens many important larger questions, and it organizes the giant archive it presents to us in a clear, well-organized, readable format. Weisenfeld handles difficult issues with grace and lucidity... [her] work offers a framework through which we can grasp the formation of the visual and media cultures of such central sites of destruction and reconstruction, even while attending to the incommensurate views and meanings of each specific event." Journal of Japanese Studies



Book Information
ISBN 9780520271951
Author Gennifer Weisenfeld
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 1179g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 30mm