"Making Japanese Citizens" is an expansive history of the activists, intellectuals, and movements that played a crucial role in shaping civil society and civic thought throughout the broad sweep of Japan's postwar period. Weaving his analysis around the concept of shimin (citizen), Simon Avenell traces the development of a new vision of citizenship based on political participation, self-reliance, popular nationalism, and commitment to daily life. He traces civic activism through six phases: the cultural associations of the 1940s and 1950s, the massive U.S.-Japan Security Treaty protests of 1960, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the antipollution and antidevelopment protests of the 1960s and 1970s, movements for local government reform and the rise of new civic groups from the mid-1970s. This rich portrayal of activists and their ideas illuminates questions of democracy, citizenship, and political participation both in contemporary Japan and in other industrialized nations more generally.

About the Author
Simon Andrew Avenell is Assistant Professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore.

Reviews
"This book is a much welcome addition, one that forces us to recognize the centrality of historical ideas. It is a must-read for all who want to understand contemporary Japanese society and politics." Japanese Journal Of Political Science "This book is an ambitious intellectual history of social movements in postwar Japan ... [A] commendable project." -- Franziska Seraphim American Historical Review "[Avenell's] text reads like a history of the people, by the people, for the people." -- Roman Rosenbaum Japanese Studies "Avenell contributes an important piece to the historic puzzle." Monumenta Nipponica "This book obviously has much to recommend it... A considerable accomplishment." -- Shigeki Uno/University of Tokyo Social Science Japan Jrnl



Book Information
ISBN 9780520262713
Author Simon Andrew Avenell
Format Paperback
Page Count 376
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm