Historically Japan has alternated between periods of celebration of a diverse, multicultural society and severe spells of xenophobia and persecution of the Other. This collection of multidisciplinary essays re-introduces the idea of Japan as a multicultural society and reflects a rapidly changing Japan as the Japanese confront a new range of diversity in their midst.

Shedding new light on the manifestations of difference in Japan from a diverse range of authors and perspectives, this extraordinary book is a study of those persons who are very much part of Japanese society today, but whose voices have long been neglected, silenced or oppressed.

Written in accessible language, this broad-based volume is an attractive and useful resource for students and academics, as well as being a timely and revealing contribution to research scholars and for those interested in the phenomena of cultural identities and transformations.

About the Author
DAVID BLAKE WILLIS is Professor of Anthropology and Education at Soai University, Osaka, where he has been since 1986. He was a Senior Associate Professor at the University of Oxford 2006-2007. STEPHEN MURPHY-SHIGEMATSU, Professor at the University of Tokyo 1994-2006, received a doctorate from Harvard, was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford, and is Professor at Fielding University.

Reviews

'Transcultural Japan provides a new exploration of diversity in Japan by variously situated authors, themselves representing diverse perspectives on Japanese society. Perhaps its largest contribution is in presentations of individuals and groups with multiple identity positions, reflecting the interpenetrations of transnationalism or transculturalism as currently manifest in Japanese society and experience' - Millie Creighton, University of British Columbia

"Transcultural Japan: At the Borderlands of Race, Gender, and Identity is a thoughtprovoking and engaging examination of Others in contemporary Japan. The breadth and depth of this edited volume is the result of the collaborative efforts of fifteen authors from diverse areas of expertise, yet it remains throughout a unified and accessible text. Transcultural Japan is essential reading for anyone interested in not just what is happening in Japan today, but perhaps more importantly, where Japan is heading tomorrow." - Lacklan Jackson, Asian Studies Reviews, December 2010

Book Information
ISBN 9780415394345
Author David Blake Willis
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 548g