Geography Books
Harvard University Press Desert Kingdom
Book SynopsisProvides an alternative history of environmental power and the making of the modern Saudi state. This title demonstrates how vital the exploitation of nature and the roles of science and global experts were to the consolidation of political authority in the desert.Trade Review[A] provocative book...Desert Kingdom is a much needed addition to the small shelf of Saudi Arabian histories based on archival research and political economy rather than caricatures of oil wealth and the desert. The connection of geography to political power is compelling. -- Frederick Deknatel * The Nation *For a desert kingdom to concern itself with the control of water would seem to be a given, but the subject has received slight attention in studies of Saudi Arabia. Although oil has always figured prominently in Saudi studies, this book is surely the first to trace Saudi policies concerning oil and water since the 1920s. Jones presents these policies as dictated by a Saudi drive to create not so much a nation-state as an empire in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is not all desert, but the agriculturally more advantaged Eastern Province, with its appreciable Shiite population, has been the most disadvantaged when it comes to receiving a share of the government's development projects. This explains the Shiite uprising there in 1979 and the halting Saudi efforts thereafter to address the issue. Woven into this book is a pessimistic view of technologically driven policies, environmentalist reflections, and a harsh portrayal of selfishness on the part of both the Saudi state and the oil company it owns, Saudi Aramco. -- L. Carl Brown * Foreign Affairs *Toby Craig Jones's new book about the kingdom examines the Saudi state's relationship to water and oil, the twin resources that are its blessing and its curse (or, according to some, its two curses). Jones argues that Saudi ruling classes hold their inherently fragile state together through a strict and bold program that manages these two substances. In Saudi Arabia, more so than in almost any other place on earth, the business of the state is the control of nature, because to control nature is to control people. -- Graeme Wood * The National *Desert Kingdom is sure to spark discussion and debate. It touches on some of the most sensitive nerves of a society. But, it also describes how determination and perseverance built Saudi Arabia into a Middle Eastern powerhouse. Toby Craig Jones opens the door to understanding how it happened. -- Joseph Richard Preville * Saudi Gazette *A lucid account and a comprehensive analysis of how state power unfolds in oil fields and water wells. The state of nature and the nature of the state are meticulously explored in this fascinating book that definitely succeeds in mixing oil and water and sheds light on how the Saudi state exercises power over nature and society. -- Madawi Al-Rasheed, author of A History of Saudi Arabia and Contesting the Saudi StateIt is impossible to think about Saudi Arabia's history the same way after reading this book. -- Jon Alterman, Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International StudiesIn this highly original approach to investigating the underpinnings of power in Saudi Arabia, Toby Jones demonstrates the power of state institutions, multinational corporations and engineering firms to reshape societies and the environments they inhabit. -- David Commins, author of The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi ArabiaIn this excellent book, Toby Jones demonstrates that managing the environment was a means of building a state that could also manage its society. An outstanding contribution to the increasingly sophisticated historiography of Saudi Arabia and an essential read for those who want to understand the country's contemporary politics. -- F. Gregory Gause, III, University of VermontJones shows how technology, foreign expertise and physical resources were managed and mobilized to produce the structures of power in Saudi Arabia today—it is indispensable reading for understanding why Saudi Arabia is what it is. A signal achievement. -- Bernard Haykel, Princeton UniversityToby Jones tells us things about Saudi politics that no one else has, at least not reliably, using scholarly sources and methods. This is now the go-to book that breaks both empirical and conceptual new ground in Middle East studies. -- Robert Vitalis, University of Pennsylvania
£32.36
Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies Violent Modernity
Book Synopsis
£16.10
Harvard University, Asia Center Children as Treasures
Book SynopsisMark Jones examines the making of a new child's world in Japan, 18901930, and focuses on the institutions, groups, and individuals that reshaped both the idea of childhood and the daily life of children. He also places the story of modern childhood within a broader social contextthe emergence of a middle class in early twentieth century Japan.Trade ReviewThis extremely well researched historical study of the intersection of ideology, politics, and family in modern Japan explores the emergence of a political discourse that supported the construction of a middle class in early-20th-century Japan and details the centrality of child rearing in that discourse...Throughout the book, readers get a clear sense that the Japanese family system is not simply a product of random social forces but was consciously invented to achieve specific political and ideological aims. An excellent work of interest to scholars of Japan, gender studies, and child development. -- J. W. Traphagan * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Childhood, the Middle Class, and Modern Japan Part I: The Emergence of a Late Meiji Middle Class 1. The Moral and the Material: The Family Reformer and the Promotion of a Middle Class 2. The Public Professional and the Middle Class: The Scientific Expert's Quest for Social Influence 3. The Wise Mother and the Little Citizen: Building a Middle Class Part II: Remaking the Middle Class in Taisho Japan: Education, Play, and New Visions of Childhood 4. The Self-Made Woman and the Superior Student: Transgressive Femininity, Educational Achievement, and Meritocratic Modernity 5. The Childlike Child: Play and the Importance of Leisure Epilogue Notes Works Cited Index
£32.26
Harvard University, The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Living Standards in Latin American History
Book SynopsisLatin America’s widespread poverty and multi-dimensioned inequalities have long perplexed and provoked observers. This edited volume with chapters by preeminent economists and social scientists brings together important scholarly efforts to measure and explain changes in Latin American living standards as far back as the colonial era.Trade ReviewThe average heights of most human populations are highly correlated with childhood nutrition. Building on this insight, a fascinating new field of study, anthropometric history, is demonstrating that extreme economic inequalities are reflected in the differing physical statures of social classes. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for example, well-fed European aristocrats towered over their undernourished peasants. This volume reveals that even today, a shockingly high percentage of impoverished Guatemalans suffer from stunted growth, whereas Mayan immigrant children living in California grow significantly taller—suggesting that poverty, not genetics, is stunting their relatives back home. This innovative collection offers numerous surprises for conventional historians: in various periods when the urban poor were presumed to have suffered from economic austerity or authoritarian deprivation, for instance, anthropometry cannot find signs of worsening nutrition. The good news is that as a region, Latin America displays the lowest percentage of stunted growth in the developing world and has registered a dramatic drop, from 26 percent in 1980 to 13 percent in 2000. -- Richard Feinberg * Foreign Affairs *
£22.46
Harvard University, The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Portraits of an Invisible Country
Book SynopsisJorge Mario Múnera is renowned in Colombia as one of the most prolific and influential photographers of his generation. Portraits of an Invisible Country comprises a book of essays on his diverse body of work and sixteen photo posters, which together highlight his travels in Colombia and his careful depiction of his countrymen and women.
£30.56
Harvard University Press When Empire Comes Home Repatriation and
Book SynopsisFollowing the end of World War II in Asia, the Allied powers repatriated over six million Japanese nationals and deported more than a million colonial subjects from Japan. Watt analyzes how the human remnants of empire served as sites of negotiation in the process of jettisoning the colonial project and in the creation of new national identities.Table of Contents* Maps, Figures, and Tables * Introduction: Repatriation, Decolonization, and the Transformations of Postwar Japan * New Maps of Asia * The Co-Production of the Repatriate, 1945-49 *"The Future of the Japanese Race" and "Argumentative Types": Women from Manchuria and men from Siberia *"In the End, It Was the Japanese Who Got Us": Repatriates in Literature, Songs, and Film * No Longer Hikiagesha: "Orphans and Women Left Behind in China" * Conclusion: Third Party Decolonization and Post-Imperial Japan * Works Cited * Index
£18.86
Harvard University Press Beyond Terror and Martyrdom
Book SynopsisKepel urges us to escape the ideological quagmire of terrorism and martyrdom and explore the terms of a new and constructive dialogue between Islam and the West. This book sounds the alarm to the West and to Islam that both of these exhausted narratives are bankruptneither productive of democratic change in the Middle East nor of unity in Islam.Trade ReviewThis book, from one of France's shrewdest interpreters of the Muslim world, provides a highly readable end-of-term conspectus of the subsequent violent encounter between America and the jihadists. It also offers an intriguing argument. In Gilles Kepel's telling, it is not only Mr. Bush whose strategy failed after September 11th. Osama bin Laden's strategy failed too....Instead of throttling jihadism, the American occupation of Iraq recruited an army of new martyrs to the cause. But far from rallying the Muslim world at large to its banner, the murderous jihad in Iraq--and al Qaeda's killing of many Muslims in other Muslim lands--ended up repelling the very audience this epic struggle was intended to attract...[Kepel] has a rare ability to tell a tale in a way that is easy to follow and yet does justice to the granular complexities of the Muslim world. * The Economist *Kepel offers an erudite critique of "the narratives of both Bush and Bin Laden which considered force or violence to be a prerequisite for change in the Middle East." The book surveys the propagation of the "war on terror" that eventually led to "the fiasco in Iraq," but unlike many critiques of the Iraq War, this study focuses on the internecine fighting between various national and sectarian Muslim groups, providing rich historical and cultural context for the internal regional politics that often have derailed U.S. policy. His analysis shifts to Europe, where he examines how different national policies of integration and "multiculturalism" in France and England have resulted in dramatically different experiences of terrorism. Kepel offers alternatives to the American "war on terror" that he believes will help "to transcend terror and martyrdom and to ensure the decisive marginalization of jihadist radicalism." His prescriptions are as insightful and thoughtful as his critiques, making this a valuable read for those interested in the Middle East and current affairs generally. * Publishers Weekly *[Kepel] now looks at the events and forces fueling the clash between militant Islamism and the West, and traces the political blindness, anger, and misunderstanding that lead from the "war on terror" to the fiasco in Iraq and the quagmire in Afghanistan. His narrative is brisk, sharp, detailed, and deadly...But what interests Kepel more than just the clash of forces in the Middle East and in cyberspace is the way myths and delusions have taken hold and the advantage the unscrupulous have taken of the inflamed emotions and vulnerable religious beliefs. -- Michael Binyon * New Humanist *Kepel's detailed analysis of the conflicting tactics, strategies, justifications and goals that underscore these ideologies is among the clearest available to date. His tour of the global political landscape illuminates not only the broad contours of Islamist thinking since 2001, but also the nuanced political theologies that pit sects, tribes, jihadis and governments against one another. -- Paula Newberg * Globe and Mail *Its real achievement lies in [Kepel's] analysis of how we come to be where we are now. In a nutshell, the two grand narratives which set the stage in the Nineties have collapsed. If Bush's "war on terror" has been a calamitous failure, so have al Qa'ida's "martyrdom operations." Theatrical jihadism has not only failed to unify global Islam: it has also bolstered the rise of al Qa'ida's Shi'ite rivals in Iran. Kepel charts the disintegration of both crusades, and sheds much light along the way...Equally illuminating are his discussions of how the conflict's flare-ups in Europe have played out in relation to each country's context. -- Michael Church * The Independent *[An] enlightening book...Kepel exposes the flaws and fantasies in the jihadist, as well as American, propaganda arsenals. -- Charles Glass * New Statesman *This book by a respected French analyst...adds something new to the literature on al-Qaeda's challenge to the United States. -- Oliver Miles * Times Literary Supplement *Beyond Terror and Martyrdom is a crisply written indictment that portrays the Bush administration and Al Qaeda as equally immoderate ideological doppelgängers...Kepel charts the unintended consequences of the chaos unleashed in the Middle East, such as the re-emergence of Iran as a regional power, now with nuclear pretensions and a trigger-happy president spouting apocalyptic threats and arming extremists from Iraq to Lebanon to Gaza--a development greeted with wariness not only by the United States, but by Al Qaeda and its Sunni allies, and by vulnerable Sunni Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. And neither Bin Laden nor Bush could have anticipated the backlash and erosion of support from their respective constituencies when the airwaves were flooded with gruesome images of the Iraqi insurgent Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi beheading helpless victims, or of the sufferings of detainees at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. Beyond Terror and Martyrdom neatly deconstructs the twin narratives of the "war on terror" and jihadist martyrdom, both of which Kepel considers essentially bankrupt. -- Scott Appleby * Commonweal *Kepel knows his Middle East, and he is arguably the foremost expert on political Islam...Illustrative of his ability to capture the complexity of these years is the fact that he treats not just the Bush administration and al Qaeda but also such diverse people and places as Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; the Maronite Lebanese leader General Michel Aoun; the Danish cartoon affair; Pope Benedict XVI; and the situations of Muslims in different European countries. As for the U.S. role in this ongoing tragedy, think of Kepel's account as a harsh but deserved rebuke from "old Europe." -- L. Carl Brown * Foreign Affairs *Gilles Kepel...[has] done more than most writers to open the minds of Western readers to the world of Islam. [He has] written learned and stimulating books on the politics of the Middle East, as well as on the Islamic presence in contemporary Europe...Kepel's latest book to appear in English, Beyond Terror and Martyrdom, is a strong critique of what he calls the two "grand narratives" that have created so much havoc in the Middle East, and by extension in Europe too. -- Ian Buruma * New York Review of Books *This work presents a philosophically important argument that adds much-needed subtlety and quality to what has too often become a shrill debate: the war on terror vs. the war against Islam. Kepel compellingly shows how the two competing sides--neoconservatives on the one hand, radical Islamic fundamentalists on the other--offered a doomsday vision of the world where each staked their own claims to power, claims that ultimately proved impossible to achieve. These were utopian ends--universal democracy or a unified Islamist state--that justified violent means and were fundamentally bankrupt. The author convincingly explains what caused these failures. More importantly, he begins to consider what lessons can be learned so that the world can emerge from these nightmare visions into more balanced and peaceful hopes for the future. Meticulously researched and written in an extremely accessible manner, this work should be regarded as an important alternative to how we usually cover world security issues. For once, it does not seem like there is an axe to grind, or perhaps, it is better put that Kepel is grinding an axe deservedly against both sides. -- M. D. Crosston * Choice *
£24.26
Harvard University Press Once Within Borders Territories of Power Wealth
Book SynopsisAt a time when the technologies of globalization are eroding barriers to communication, transportation, and trade, Charles Maier explores the fitful evolution of territories—politically bounded regions whose borders define the jurisdiction of laws and the movement of peoples—as a worldwide practice of human societies.Trade ReviewCharles Maier's new and brilliantly insightful book is a history of how political borders came to be constructed, contested and—or so it appeared—effaced, only to revive with a vengeance. Here is a new and subtle geopolitics for the post-global era of walls and barbed wire. -- Niall Ferguson, author of Kissinger, 1923–1968No other historian of our present age could better this scholarly discourse upon states, borders, sovereignty, and geographic space in modern, post-1500 Europe, America, and the world. Professor Maier's erudition results in a fabulous, original work on what land and sea borders have meant, and still do mean, to governments and peoples, and to state and non-state actors. His easy discussion with some of the greatest European and American public thinkers, geopoliticians, historians, and philosophers is breathtaking. -- Paul Kennedy, author of Engineers of VictoryA brilliant synthesis of a wealth of empirical material about the birth and development of what is conventionally considered to be modernity. -- Geoff Eley, author of Nazism as FascismIn this brilliant and sweeping narrative, Maier shows how, beginning in the seventeenth century, sovereignty and territory became intertwined as states built borders, reorganized systems of labor and capital, and forged domains of law and authority…Maier finds today’s world awash in fast-changing and deeply conflicting ideas about territory. Theinterdependence of economies and the emergence of cyberspace seem to have reduced the salience of physical territorial control and weakened traditional notions of sovereignty and citizenship. But if Maier is correct, territory will continue to claim an important place in the human imagination. -- G. John Ikenberry * Foreign Affairs *It’s rare to find insightful contemporary political commentary in what is primarily a history book. Yet this tome could hardly be more timely. For anyone keen to understand the mass movements that fuelled everything from the EU referendum result to Trump’s election victory, you could do far worse than have a flick through Once Within Borders, exploring how the tinderbox where these particular fires caught ablaze came into existence. -- Chris Fitch * Geographical *Charles Maier’s Once Within Borders is a splendid account of the changing notions of territory over the past five centuries. Maier is among the most distinguished living historians and this timely book has been years in the making…He shows how changing geopolitics, the advent of commercial society, rise of industrial technology and development of new techniques of governance impinged upon evolving the notions of territory. -- Srinath Raghavan * Mint *Charles Maier ask[s] us to consider afresh the commonplace intellectual and experiential twinning of history and geography, of time and space, and by doing so open[s] up compelling new avenues for historical, geographical and social-scientific inquiry…A stimulating analysis of the history of territory as a concept. -- Robert Mayhew * Times Literary Supplement *Maier’s book is a timely reminder that borders go back much farther than debates about border walls and hard borders…Maier shows how borders contributed to the creation of polities and our ideas about them, including sovereignty, in a sweeping review of the past 500 years of western history. -- Krisztina Csortea * International Affairs *
£22.46
Harvard University, Asia Center Maos Invisible Hand
Book SynopsisObservers have been predicting the demise of China's Communist state since Mao's death. Yet policymakers have managed the fastest sustained economic expansion in world history. This book shows that many contemporary techniques of governance have their roots in experimental policy generation and implementation dating to the revolution and early PRC.Trade ReviewMao’s Invisible Hand is one of those books that make one feel good about scholarship. It describes inner workings of Chinese Communist society about which few nonexperts know anything—it may even surprise the experts—and it will interest anyone professionally interested in China. Its central purpose is to explain how China has escaped the disintegration of other Communist states. -- Jonathan Mirsky * New York Review of Books *This is one of the most insightful and thought-provoking books published in recent years on the critical questions about China’s developmental path and the role of history. -- Chen Xi * China Beat *One of the most sophisticated works of this sort. -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom * Miller-McCune.com *
£22.46
Harvard University Press Saturday Is for Funerals
Book SynopsisIn the year 2000 the World Health Organization estimated that 85 percent of fifteen-year-olds in Botswana would eventually die of AIDS. This title tells the true story of lives ravaged by AIDS - of orphans, bereaved parents, and widows; and, of families who devote most Saturdays to the burial of relatives and friends.Trade ReviewThis is a remarkable account of the human effect of a pandemic, written by two people with an intimate knowledge of Botswana and its struggle to deal with AIDS. I recommend this book most warmly for its humanity and insight. -- Alexander McCall SmithThis extraordinary book brings to life the utterly unique stories of people in Botswana; yet the fact is that struggle, suffering and redemption are also universal stories with which we can all identify. The partnership of Dow and Essex, storyteller and scientist, results in a precious alchemy: a book that is engrossing, transforming and an important addition to the canon of the literature of HIV. -- Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone and My Own CountryThis is the AIDS book to read—first, because of its novel approach of describing true and very moving stories of the Botswana experience, coupled with lucid and relevant scientific explanations fitting for each of the stories, and second, because of the experience and caliber of its authors. Saturday Is For Funerals is at once highly moving, while providing unforgettable lessons from the greatest pandemic in medical history. Unity Dow knows her people and their tragic stories, and as we would expect from a highly regarded novelist, displays these stories with grace and beauty. Coauthor Professor Max Essex has as much or more public health scientific experience and more insights into HIV/AIDS than anyone I know in the world. This book would be valuable not only for people impacted by HIV, but also for politicians, educators, students, and anyone who wants an education on mankind's greatest 'plague.' -- Robert C. Gallo, M.D., Director, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of MedicineThis wonderful book is an inspiration to anyone who wants to learn more about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its impact on Africa. The authors have collaborated on a well-written tome that is highly informative yet easy to read and digest. This book will have to be considered for a Pulitzer Prize and other suitable recognition. -- Mark A. Wainberg, President Emeritus, International AIDS SocietyUnity Dow and Max Essex have crafted an extraordinarily effective synergy of science and societal journalism. Saturday Is For Funerals explores the fragility and resilience of human spirit through poignant personal narratives around courtships, young love, and family tradition, centered in the Botswana 'hot zone' of the most devastating epidemic in recorded history. In conversational and gripping prose Saturday Is For Funerals engages as it informs, standing alongside Randy Shilts (And the Band Played On) and Abraham Verghese (My Own Country) as a heartfelt chronicle of the turbulent times that AIDS has engendered for global society, for science, and for amazing African peoples. -- Stephen J. O'Brien, AIDS researcher, author of Tears of the Cheetah: And Other Tales from the Genetic FrontierThe HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana is explored with sensitivity and scientific rigor in this heartening book...This richly informative book dispels much of the mystery still surrounding HIV/AIDS, revealing how life goes on for those infected. Readers overwhelmed by (and even numbed to) the images of desolation that accompany coverage of the epidemic will find a realistic but optimistic assessment of a society successfully tackling the problem and a model for other afflicted nations. * Publishers Weekly *The narratives provide a human touch and convincingly illustrate the tremendous impact of AIDS on women, children, infants, friends, family, and culture. While Botswana was hard-hit by the AIDS epidemic, it has provided a successful model for other countries by taking a proactive approach to dealing with the disease. -- Tina Neville * Library Journal *A decade ago, the AIDS epidemic in the southern African country had gotten so bad that leaders feared its people were in danger of extinction; the World Health Organization estimated that 85 percent of 15 year olds would eventually die of the disease. Today, Botswana is the pride of Africa. The country's remarkable journey is detailed in Saturday Is for Funerals, a new book by renowned AIDS activist Unity Dow and researcher Max Essex. Weaving together personal anecdotes and medical history, the authors reveal how a combination of proactive government intervention, education, research, and foreign aid have achieved the near impossible...Bringing Saturday Is for Funerals to life--and distinguishing it from other books about AIDS in Africa--are its first-hand, often heart-wrenching stories of the epidemic's victims...[Dow] shares evocative stories of marriages torn apart by the disease, and saved through drug therapy, of tribal leaders encouraging circumcision to reduce infection, and of AIDS orphans. -- Danielle Friedman * Daily Beast *Unity Dow, a judge of the Interim Independent Constitutional Dispute Resolution Court of Kenya, and Max Essex, a Harvard professor of health sciences, have worked at the Botswana-Harvard Partnership to control, contain, and curtail the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has devastated Botswana. In this informative book, they present the many difficulties they face--medical, cultural, psychological, and financial. -- Barbara Fisher * Boston Globe *The epidemic of HIV and AIDS marching across Africa is threatening to crush entire countries under its weight. Saturday Is for Funerals tells the story of how one country, Botswana, is stemming the epidemic with bold political leadership, a strategic and scientific approach, and more than a little grit. -- Priya Shetty * New Scientist *The book is compelling because it tells us the real stories of people living with HIV/Aids and the devastating effects it has on families. There are stories of deadly sexual betrayal and bitterness, but also resilience, caring and kindness...This hook is then used to engage the reader and explain the science behind the disease in a generally accessible way. It is a work of both literature and science and works brilliantly. -- Pádraig Carmody * Irish Times *A compelling look at the toll of AIDS in Africa and some hopeful developments. -- Vanessa Bush * Booklist *Tragic and heartwrenching stories of victims, coupled with scientific explanations, are effectively woven into chapters on mother-to-child transmission, fear of diagnosis, AIDS in children, highly active antiretroviral therapy, drug resistance and toxicities, stigma, and orphans. The book comes at a critical time as news of HIV/AIDS "donor fatigue" makes headlines, and funding to battle AIDS in Africa is shrinking. This is very important reading for politicians, educators, students, and those seeking an education on humankind's greatest plague. -- P. Wermager * Choice *Dow and Essex bring their distinct and complementary knowledge of HIV infection in southern Africa into a book that effectively depicts both the personal and the scientific facets of the Botswana AIDS epidemic...The science is competently explained in terms that a lay person could understand, and the combination works well, making this book a good introduction to the key facts about HIV/AIDS as well as a moving depiction of the individual tragedies this disease can inflict...This book would be worthwhile reading for people who want to learn more about the HIV epidemic but would never pick up a textbook or scientific article...In my view, this book should be compulsory reading for policy makers and leaders throughout Africa, who often appear to be unaccountably remote from the suffering of ordinary people in their countries. -- Sarah Rowland-Jones * Nature Medicine *Unity Dow and Max Essex illuminate the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa by reporting on its consequences for the lives of those living in a single country, Botswana. Dow is a human rights lawyer and judge. Essex is an AIDS scientist at Harvard University. They have deployed their complementary experiences to examine multiple aspects of AIDS, dividing each chapter in half. Dow describes the personal stories of those affected by AIDS. She creates play scripts of conversation to situate the issue at hand--AIDS among children, access to medicines, fear and stigma, diagnosis--in a context that illustrates the intimacy and tragedy of the epidemic. Essex follows up with a scientific explanation of the preceding drama, together with his own reflections abpout what is being done to prevent such an episode from happening again. It is an effective strategy, drawing the reader into the particular culture of AIDS in Botswana, while showing what the global medical research enterprise into HIV can deliver for people who live in often excruciating poverty. -- Richard Horton * Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents* Preface * Introduction *1. A Family of Funerals: The Epidemic *2. I Know You Still Love Me: Sexual Transmission *3. Masego and Katlego: Mother-to-Child Transmission *4. Mandla Gets Tested: Diagnosis of HIV Infection *5. The Death of Mma Monica: AIDS Disease in Adults and Availability of Treatment *6. Naledi and Her Nephew Shima: AIDS in Children *7. It Is the Will of God: HIV and Tuberculosis *8. Walking Skeletons and Hesitant Hugs: Toxicities and Resistance to Drugs Used to Treat HIV/AIDS *9. The Page Is Turning Red: Blood Transfusion as a Risk for HIV Infection *10. A Tribal Tradition: Male Circumcision to Prevent HIV Infection *11. A Matter of Commitment: Development of an HIV Vaccine *12. Ancestral Control: Evil Spirits and HIV as the Cause of AIDS *13. He Died in China: Fear and Stigma *14. Opelo's Rebellion: Issues of Adolescents and Women *15. Desperation for Pono: Orphans of HIV/AIDS *16. Government Action Makes a Difference: A Nation Responds * Glossary * Further Reading * Index
£24.26
Harvard University Press Latin Americas Cold War
Book SynopsisFor Latin America, the Cold War was anything but cold. Nor was it the so-called "long peace" afforded the world's superpowers by their nuclear standoff. Taking an international perspective on the postwar decades in the region, this book explains what exactly happened in Latin America during the Cold War, and why it was so traumatic.Trade ReviewAn outstanding book, well written and extremely well conceived in its coverage and structure. This is a major contribution to cold war history, and will undoubtedly become the standard work on Latin America and the cold war. Brands has produced an important study that provides a real service to readers. -- Odd Arne Westad, author of The Global Cold WarIn an entertaining yet rigorous book, Brands walks the reader through the key events of the cold war in Latin America. Contrary to the thesis that revolutions are inevitable throughout Latin America, he shows that they are actually rare, and that conservatism more nearly reflects the trajectory of Latin America than revolution. This intelligent, sensible, and convincing work argues that Latin America's international conflicts require a comprehensive understanding of the perspectives of all the key actors, not just the United States. -- Robert A. Pastor, American UniversityBased on prodigious research in twelve countries, this feisty volume challenges dominant trends in the literature and moves the debate to a new level by questioning the hegemonic status of the United States, attributing real menace to the Soviet threat, and ascribing a large measure of agency to Latin Americans. Brands tells their story with perspicacity. Specialists and general readers alike will find this book illuminating. -- Mark T. Gilderhus, Texas Christian UniversityBrands takes aim at those mainstream historians writing on Western Hemispheric relations who have portrayed the United States as an overwhelmingly powerful hegemon whose destructive interventions are responsible for the region's sufferings. Delving into Latin American archives, Brands counters that Latin Americans have been active participants in their own history--in both their domestic politics and international diplomacy. During the Cold War, Washington and Moscow often had poor understandings of these local dynamics, so their ill-designed policies frequently failed; even those strategies that momentarily succeeded generated blowback and unintended consequences. As Brands persuasively argues, the true story of Latin America's role in the Cold War lies in the dynamic interactions between international forces and domestic actors. Tragically, both the United States and the Soviet Union exacerbated the region's already polarized politics, and the ensuing violent clashes rendered asunder fragile democracies. Fortunately, today many citizens in Latin America and many in Washington policy circles have drawn the right lessons from history, seeking to strengthen democratic institutions--and not overreacting to the provocations of the latest crop of neopopulists. -- Richard Feinberg * Foreign Affairs *Globally, analysts claim that the Cold War provided stability and structure. Brands finds a different outcome in Latin America of the four decades of the Cold War (i.e., the 1940s through the early 1990s)...Brands's study will stand as the definitive work in the years ahead. -- J. A. Rhodes * Choice *
£19.76
Harvard University Press Black Jews in Africa and the Americas
Book SynopsisParfitt explains how many African peoples came to think of themselves as descendants of the ancient tribes of Israel. Pursuing medieval and modern race narratives over a millennium in which Jews were cast as black and black Africans were cast as Jews, he reveals a complex interaction between religious and racial labels and their political uses.Trade ReviewIn throwing light on the source of our beliefs, Parfitt makes transparently clear how prejudice and desire for status, to cite just two verities of human behavior, interact with ever-changing features of the political and economic landscape to transform human identities. -- Gloria Levitas * Moment *In this compact but compelling study, Parfitt presents a fascinating account of the origins of black Jews in the modern period. -- A. Mendelsohn * Choice *In this wide-ranging cultural examination of the intersections of blackness and Jewishness, [Parfitt] focuses primarily on blacks who claim, or have had ascribed to them by anthropologists and other intellectuals, Jewish origins or characteristics. Parfitt discusses the Beta Israel of Ethiopia and the Lemba of southern Africa (DNA testing has revealed that members of the Lemba have genetic links to Semitic peoples), as well as more ideologically driven movements, such as postimperial black African Jews… Supported by a large cast of thinkers and religious leaders, this brief but extensive look at a partly authentic, largely invented ethnic-religious identity will interest students of religion, race relations, and postcolonialism. * Publishers Weekly *For at least the past two centuries, the majority of Jews were of European ancestry and could be broadly categorized as Caucasian. Yet, from Ethiopia to the Yemens to China, there existed individuals and communities of ’people of color’ who were either Jewish or considered themselves linked to Jews culturally, even genetically… Parfitt has provided a well-researched and informative study of these groups and their place in the wider debates concerning the forging of religious and ethnic identities. -- Jay Freeman * Booklist *Anyone interested in understanding how and why discussions of Africana Judaisms have such vast and varied participants—from Orthodox Rabbis to Pan-Africanist icons, from mouth-swabbing geneticists to human rights advocates—will find the answers in this masterful new offering from one of the world’s most knowledgeable scholars on the topic. -- John L. Jackson, Jr., author of Real Black: Adventures in Racial SincerityMoving from Lost Tribes in Africa to Black Jews in the United States, and from Biblical narrative to modern genetic testing, Tudor Parfitt traces with verve and insight the ties that bind blacks and Jews in history and myth. A cogent and enlightening account of a pan-historical and international subject fraught with serious religious, racial, and cultural implications. -- Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Harvard University
£32.36
Harvard University Press Courtly Encounters
Book SynopsisIn the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the court was the crucial site where expanding Eurasian states and empires met and made sense of one another. Richly illustrated, Courtly Encounters provides a fresh cross-cultural perspective on early modern Islam, Counter-Reformation Catholicism, Protestantism, and a newly emergent Hindu sphere.Trade ReviewEvery page of this book is like a voyage of discovery. Subrahmanyam illustrates how encounters between peoples did not just take place 'out there' in the peripheries of imperial systems, but also in the very nerve centers of power, the imperial courts of Eurasia. From Persia to Aceh, royal households were settings for the making of mutual perceptions of Muslims, Christians and Hindus—with powerful visual and textual accounts of sharing, killing, and martyrdom. While so much of world history accents the strangeness of global encounters, Subrahmanyam brilliantly illuminates how much intimacy was laced into the intrigue and violence of courtly systems. -- Jeremy Adelman, Princeton UniversityNo historian paints on a broader canvas, or with more pointillist precision, than Sanjay Subrahmanyam. His account of courtly cultural interaction ranges across centuries and continents, helping us understand encounters as divers as those of Moctezuma and Cortés, Timur the Great and the ambassadors of the Emperor Hung Wu. His theoretical acumen gives us new tools with which to think about the translation, transmission, and transformation of cultures. And his seemingly endless knowledge of sources in countless languages and artistic genres teaches us about the history of nearly everything, from the uses of gunpowder to the iconography of halos. Like a great museum, Courtly Encounters is a book to be visited again and again. -- David Nirenberg, University of ChicagoThrough an intriguing set of early modern events and the texts and images that emerged from them, Courtly Encounters considers the commensurability of cultures, memory and forgetting, imperial court violence and intimacy, the language of martyrdom, and the ebb and flow of images, ideas, and texts back and forth across Eurasia. After a scholarly lifetime of seeking out connected histories, Sanjay Subrahmanyam is alive to the lived experience of the past and its capacity to upend historical accounts narrowed by visions of 'Europe' and 'Asia' as separate spheres with separated histories. All historians should pay attention to his conclusion that encounters between societies don't just happen, but are made, and they are made, not between whole societies, but in fragments and fractions, including at the individual level. -- Pamela H. Smith, Columbia UniversitySubrahmanyam is a master historian to whom we owe yet another dazzling and penetrating account of how Europe and Asia interacted before modern colonialism. He unravels the creative and often idiosyncratic mix of emulation, coercion, and sheer improvisation that allowed people of disparate backgrounds to absorb and make sense of each other's traditions. Both the skeptics and the romantics in matters of cross-cultural encounters will find Courtly Encounters a rewarding and provocative read. -- Francesca Trivellato, Yale UniversityA splendid book of felicitous erudition and critical inquiry, which should make the readers think afresh...Courtly Encounters does not give a naïve picture of cultural assimilation. Nor does it suggest that cultural encounters and transactions should only be located in courtly high culture. Instead, it provides certain historical contexts, in which cultures meet, collide, coalesce, growl at each other and negotiate with one another at the same time, and with easy conscience...History playfully provides many instances of cultural encounters and dialogues. That history defies a single, simple narrative indeed constitutes its richness. This book decants it in full measure. -- B. Surendra Rao * The Hindu *
£32.36
Harvard University, Center for Hellenic Studies On the Wonders of Land and Sea
Book SynopsisOn the Wonders of Land and Sea is a comparative study of travel writers in the eastern Islamic world from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. Situating texts in their socio-historical contexts, the essays study works by male and female Muslim and Parsi/Zoroastrian travelers in the Hijaz, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Europe.
£16.10
Harvard University Press Chinas Republican Revolution
Book SynopsisImperialism, pernicious as it was in most respects, served as the prime catalyst for social change in China throughout the turbulent period from 1895 to 1913. Starting with this premise, Edward Rhoads traces the social, political, and economic history of the republican revolution. In his view, after the Boxer uprising, the Manchu court, usually called supine and reactionary, instituted a program of reform that was a serious, comprehensive, and often successful attempt at radical social transformation. It failed, but it politicized the Chinese people to an unprecedented degreeand it marks the entrance of China into the modern era. The post-Boxer reforms attracted many revolutionaries and defused a serious revolutionary threat. Contrary to traditional accounts, Sun Yat-sen and his Revolutionary Alliance did not move easily from success to success. On the eve of the 1911 revolution, in fact, the movement was disorganized and demoralized. Its ultimate victory came less from its own efforts
£999.99
Harvard University Press Chinas Response to the West
Book SynopsisThe present confrontation of Communist China and the United States, on which the future of peace in Asia hinges, is merely the latest phase in a continuing historical process--the remaking of China's ancient society under the stimulus of Western contact. How does it happen that a century of foreign trade and missionary evangelism, of modern education and the training of Chinese students in Western ways, has now resulted in a seeming rejection of the West? What has been the real nature of China's response to the West during the past century of our contact?This volume gives the first inside account, on so broad a scale, of how China's leaders reacted to the invasion of Western arms and goods, persons and ideas, during the three generations from the Opium War to the rise of the Kuomintang. In 28 chapters, with translations of 65 key documents, the authors trace the stages by which the scholar-officials of the Middle Kingdom were brought to recognize successively the need for Western arms to defend their country, Western technology for making arms, modern science to support technology, its application in modern industry to strengthen the nation, and all the attendant new ideas which led them eventually into great movements for institutional reform, political revolution, and ideological reconstruction. From the famous Commissioner un's first study of Western geography during his anti-opium crusade, through the efforts of Li Hungchang and others at self-strengthening by industrialization, down to the critical thought of Dr. Hu Shih and the eclecticism of Sun Yat-sen in the early 20th century, the writings of China's leaders ring the changes on a central theme how to remake their heritage and create a modern nation capable of meeting the West on equal terms. The provincial viceroys, the Reformers of 1898, the Boxers in 1900, the old Empress Dowager, and the eager students studying abroad, each in their own way, all grapple with this absorbing problem. The varied Chinese responses to the West in the formative century here analyzed give us a new insight into the springs of social action among one-fifth of mankind. The companion volume, for the research specialist, provides Notes and Sources, Bibliography, and a Glossary of Chinese names and terms, essential bases for further exploration of this new field.Trade ReviewA fascinating and highly important book… It is impossible within such a brief review even to summarize the wealth of material presented… Its authors have brilliantly sketched in the background for the writings they reproduce and have also worked into their text very illuminating biographical notes on the Chinese writers. * American Historical Review *For those who are interested in intellectual history this book is a brilliant combination of commentary and documents on nearly a century of Chinese thought… The authors have themselves woven the contributions of others into a meaningful pattern. * Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science *The documentary survey by Teng and Fairbank, which through an excellent selection of material makes available in English the most important documents of each period and each point of view, providing a kaleidoscopic picture. * World Politics *Table of ContentsReigns of the Ch'ing (Manchu) Dynasty PART 1: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND 1. Introduction 2. Some Elements in the Chinese Intellectual Tradition Some Early Ch'ing "Nationalist" Thinkers The Early Jesuit Influence in China The Attitude of the Ch'ing Court toward the Westerners PART 2: RECOGNITION OF CHINA'S NEED TO KNOW THE WEST, 1839-1860 3. Commissioner Lin's Program for Meeting British Aggression Doc. 1. Lin Tse-hsu's Moral Advice to Queen Victoria, 1839 Doc. 2. A Letter of Lin Tse-hsu Recognizing Western Military Superiority, 1842 Doc. 3. Wei Yuan's Statement of a Policy for Maritime Defense, 1842 Doc. 4. Cantonese Denunciation of the British, 1841 4. The Policy of Conciliation Doc. 5. Ch'i-ying's Method for Handling the Barbarians, 1844 Doc. 6. Hsu Chi-yu's Acceptance of Western Geography, 1848 5. The Emergence of the Theory of Self-Strengthening Prince Kung and the Tsungli Yamen Doc. 7. The New Foreign Policy of January 1861 Feng Kuei-fen and his Essays Doc. 8. On the Adoption of Western Knowledge Doc. 9. On the Manufacture of Foreign Weapons Doc. 10. On the Better Control of the Barbarians The Taiping Rebels' Interest in Modernization Doc. 11. Hung Jen-kan's Proposals, 1859 PART 3: THE DESIRE FOR WESTERN TECHNOLOGY, 1861-1870 6. Tseng Kuo-fan's Attitude toward Westerners and their Machinery Doc. 12. Excerpts from Tseng's Letters, 1862 Doc. 13. Founding the Shanghai Arsenal Doc. 14. Tseng's Views on Treaty Revision, 1867 7. Li Hung-chang and the Use of Western Arms Doc. 15. Li's Letter to Tseng Kuo-fan on the Ever-Victorious Army, February 1863 Doc. 16. Li's Recommendation of Western Military Methods, June 1863 ,br> Doc. 17. The Tsungli Yamen Memorial of June 1863 on China's Defensive Strategy 8. Institutions for Linguistic and Scientific Studies (The T'ung-wen Kuan) Doc. 18. Li i-Hung-chang's Support of Western Studies, 1863 Doc. 19. Wo-jen's Objection to Western Learning, 1867 Doc. 20. The Tsungli Yamen's Rebuttal, 1867 9. Tso Tsung-t'ang and the Faochow Shipyard Doc. 21. Tso's Plans of 1866 PART 4: EFFORTS AT SELF-STRENGTHENING, 1871-1896 10. The Problem of Leadership: Personalities and Institutions Li Hung-chang and his Subordinates The Empress Dowager's Influence ,br> Doc. 22. Wen-hsiang's Warning of Disaster, 1874 11. Training Students Abroad The Educational Mission to the United States Doc. 23. The Proposal of Tseng and Li in 1871 Doc. 24. Letters of Li Hung-chang concerning the End of the Mission, 1880-1881 Students in Europe Doc. 25. Ma Chien-chung's Report on his Studies in France, 1877 12. Diplomatic Missions Abroad Doc. 26. Prince Kong's Discovery of International Law, 1864 Doc. 27. A Letter of Kuo Sung-tao from London, 1877 Doc. 28. Tseng Chi-tse's Account of his Audience with the Empress Dowager, 1878 13. Problems of the Industrialization Effort Doe. 29. Li Hung-chang's Defense of Building Steamships, 1872 The Principle of "Government-supervision and Merchant-operation" Doc. 30. The Criticisms of Cheng Kuan-ying, c. 1892 The Debate over Railroads Doc. 31. Shen Pao-chen's Purchase of the Shanghai-Wusung Railway, 1876 Doc. 32. Hsueh Fu-ch'eng's Support of Railroad Building, 1878 14. The Attempt at a Positive Foreign Policy Doc. 33. Kuo Sung-tao on the Futility of a War Policy, 1884 Building a Modern Navy Doc. 34. Chang P'ei-lun's Proposal of 1884 The Failure at Self-Strengthening Doc. 35. Li Hung-chang's Conversation with ItO Hirobumi, 1895 The Alliance with Russia Doc. 36. Liu K'un-i's Secret Proposal, July 1895 Doc. 37. Chang Chih-tung's Memorial of August 1895 Doc. 38. Text of the Sino-Russian Secret Treaty of 1896 PART 5: THE REFORM MOVEMENT THROUGH 1900 15. Promoters of Institutional Change The Missionary Influence Early Chinese Advocates of Reform Doc. 39. Writings of Wang T'ao Doc. 40. Essays of Hsueh Fu-ch'eng 16. K'ang Yu-wei and Some of his Associates Doc. 41. K'ang Yu-wei's Statement for the "Society for the Study of Self-strengthening," 1895 Doc. 42. Liang Ch'i-ch'ao on Reform, 1896 Doc. 43. T'an Ssu-t'ung on the Need for Complete Westernization Doc. 44. Wang K'ang-nien on Democracy 17. The Reform Program of Chang Chih-tung Doc. 45. Selections from Chang's "Exhortation to Study," 1898 18. The Failure of 1898 The Court and the Emperor Doc. 46. K'ang Yu-wei's Conversation with the Emperor, June 1898 Doc. 47. ItO's Conversation with the Emperor, September 1898 The Conservative Opposition 19. The Boxer Uprising Doc. 48. Proclamations of the Boxers Doc. 49. Memorials of Anti-Boxer Martyrs, 1900 PART 6. REFORM AND REVOLUTION, 1901-1912 20. The Conservative Reform Movement The Post-Borer Program Doc. 50. The Joint Proposals of Liu K'un-i and Chang Chih-tung, 1901 Educational Reform Doc. 51. A Memorial of Chang Chih-tung and Yuan Shih-k'ai Urging Abolition of the Old Examinations, 1903 Constitutionalisin Doc. 52. A Report on Constitutional Governments Abroad, 1906 Yuan Shih-k'ai and the Modern Army 21. Economic Development Doc. 53. Sheng 1-Hsuan-huai's Argument for 1896 Doc. 54. Economic Views of Chang Chien 22. Liang Ch'i-ch'ao and Nationalism Doc, 55. "The Renovation of the People" by Liang Ch'ich'ao, 1902 23. Sun Yat-sen's Early Revolutionary Program Doc. 56. The Manifesto of the T'ung-meng.hui, 1905 PART 7: IDEOLOGICAL FERMENT AND THE MAY FOURTH MOVEMENT, 1912-1923 24. The Search for New Principles The Variety of the New Thought Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei and Freedom in Education Doc. 57. Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei's Views on the Aims of Education, 1912 Doc. 58. Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei's Policy for Peking University, 1919 25. Early Converts to Marxism Doc. 59. Ch'en Tu-hsiu's "Call to Youth," 1915 Doc. 60. Li Ta-chao, "The Victory of Bolshevism," November 15, 1918 Doc. 61. Ch'en Tu-hsiu's Argument for Historical Materialism, 1923 26. Hu Shih and Pragmatism in China Doc. 62. Hu Shih, "The Significance of the New Thought," 1919 Doc. 63. Hu Shih, "On the Literary Revolution," 1922 27. Sun Yat-sen's Reorientation of the Revolution Doc. 64. Sun Yat-sen's Theory of Knowledge and Action, 1919 Doc. 65. Sun Yat-sen's Adoption of the Russian Party System, 1923 28. Liang Ch'i-ch'ao's Review of China's Progress, 1873-1922 Postface. A Further Approach to the Problem Index
£31.41
Harvard University, Asia Center Mathews ChineseEnglish Dictionary A ChineseE
Book SynopsisThis small but comprehensive dictionary contains 7,773 Chinese characters and 104,000 compounds taken from the classics, general literature, magazines, and newspapers.Table of ContentsForeword to the American Edition Preface to the First Edition Introduction on Pronunciation List of Syllabic Headings The Structure of Chinese Characters The Abbreviations and References A Chinese-English Dictionary Apendices: A. I. Summary of Chinese Dynasties II-VIII. Tables Concering Time, Numbers, etc. B. I. The 214 Radicals II. Radical Index
£60.31
Harvard University, Asia Center Colonial Industrialization and Labor in Korea
Book SynopsisThis book is a study of labor relations and the first generation of skilled workers in colonial Korea, a subject crucial to the understanding of modernization in twentieth-century Korea. Born in rural Korea, these workers confronted both the colonial experience and the modern workplace as they interacted with Japanese managers and workers.
£32.26
Harvard University, Asia Center Lost Histories
Book SynopsisIs it possible to write the history of Japan’s colonial subjects? Ziomek contends that it is. By reconstructing individual life histories and following these people as they crossed colonial borders to the metropolis and beyond, Ziomek conveys the dynamic nature of an empire in motion.Trade ReviewLost Histories has several strengths to recommend it and should be required reading for scholars and students in modern Asian history and colonial studies…the method of shifting away from official records (colonial archives) and instead looking to nonofficial records that are textual, oral, visual, and material has opened up new and unfiltered documentation of personal experiences of colonization. -- Alice Y. Tseng * American Historical Review *Ziomek’s remarkable book Lost Histories occupies a unique place within this wave of scholarship [on Japanese imperialism] and represents a valuable contribution to it. What she has done…through her dogged research, is to force us to bring greater precision and empathy to our arguments about ethnicity and agency in colonial rule, in view of the lived experience of colonial subjects. In that sense, the book is truly a gift, one that I hope will feature prominently in future scholarship and teaching on the topic. * H-Diplo Reviews *A meticulously researched, vividly illustrated collection of micro-histories that bring to life the diverse peoples inhabiting the Japanese Empire…Ziomek contests narratives that see Japanese essentialization of ethnic difference as an attempt to strengthen their own position of power. Japan’s fixation on ethnic difference reveals not its success in securing a position of power atop the colonial racial hierarchy but instead the ‘precariousness’ of Japanese rule in the colonies. * Journal of Asian Studies *If, as the Naïve Idealist says, ‘a person’s name has the power to open a connection into their world,’ Kirsten L. Ziomek’s Lost Histories demonstrates that power. Her dogged pursuit of the names and life stories of people who lived within Japan’s formal empire is truly impressive. In several cases Ziomek circumvents the limitations of the ‘colonial archive’ to provide us with portrayals of people whose lives were certainly affected by the ‘oppressive nature of Japan’s colonial policies’ but were nevertheless full and fascinating. * Journal of Japanese Studies *As a work of original research that is both empirically grounded and conceptually bold, Lost Histories is highly recommended to scholars and students of imperial culture, colonial governance, and East Asian history. -- Paul D. Barclay * Journal of World History *Conceptually ambitious and expertly crafted…Lost Histories is especially commendable for its re-creation of the life stories of individual colonial subjects…The quality of scholarship…is superb…Useful to anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of East Asian international relations today. -- Erik Esselstrom * Monumenta Nipponica *Well written and fascinating, the book demonstrates that these lives tell us as much about colonialism as about the impact of colonial subjects on the conduct of Japanese colonial practices. * Choice *
£50.11
Harvard University Press Adversarial Legalism The American Way of Law
Book SynopsisAmerican dispute resolution is more adversarial, compared with systems of other economically advanced countries. Americans more often rely on legal threats and lawsuits. American laws are generally more complicated and prescriptive, adjudication more costly, penalties more severe. Here, Kagan examines the origins and consequences of this system.Trade ReviewLike the first edition, it is a brilliant and thoughtful account of the way the legal system of the United States works, based on a rich and varied storehouse of research. -- Lawrence M. Friedman * Law & Social Inquiry *A tour de force. It is an elegantly written, consistently insightful analysis and critique of the American emphasis on litigation and punitive sanctions in the policy and administrative process…Political elites, scholars, and college students alike may find much that is new and surprising in this book—and it is Kagan’s key purpose to surprise and stimulate fresh thinking about the range of possibilities for addressing policy problems. -- Charles R. Epp * Law and Society Review *An important and insightful study of American legal culture…Both comprehensive and critical. A significant advantage of Kagan’s treatment is his commitment to a genuinely comparative analysis of American legalism…Whatever the merits of Kagan’s assessment, however, it is made possible by his careful attention to comparative materials and thus shows the promise of an authentic comparative legal methodology. In sum, this is an important, indeed an elegant, book. Highly recommended. -- J. E. Finn * Choice *This is a wonderful piece of work, richly detailed and beautifully written. It is the best, sanest, and most comprehensive evaluation and critique of the American way of law that I have seen. Every serious scholar concerned with justice and efficiency, and every policymaker who is serious about improving the American legal order, should read this trenchant and exciting book. -- Lawrence Friedman, Stanford University
£26.96
Harvard University, Asia Center Imaginative Mapping
Book SynopsisImaginative Mapping analyzes how intellectuals of the Tokugawa and Meiji eras used specific features and aspects of the landscape to represent their idea of Japan and produce a narrative of Japan as a cultural community. Nobuko Toyosawa argues that the circulation spatial narratives allowed readers to imagine the broader conceptual space of Japan.Trade ReviewThe book is lavishly produced with beautiful four-color illustrations…A genuine contribution to our scholarship on early modern and modern Japanese intellectual history. Toyosawa’s innovative insights into the theme of landscape connect Tokugawa and Meiji-era thought in productive, exciting, and unexpected ways. -- Mark Ravina * Journal of Japanese Studies *Toyosawa analyzes the influential works of several early-modern and modern Japanese scholar-writers that exemplify how the natural landscape has long been a source of power and as a defining core of Japanese identity. -- Rex J. Rowley * Historical Geography *
£43.31
Harvard University, Center for Hellenic Studies Muslims and US Politics Today
Book SynopsisThe 21st century has been a volatile period for American Muslims. Yet despite anti-Muslim bias, American Muslims now have unprecedented avenues of influence in U.S. politics. In this critically-timed volume, Mohammad Hassan Khalil has drawn on leading scholars to provide a deep look at the rich political history and future of American Muslims.
£16.10
Harvard University, Asia Center Manga from the Floating World
Book SynopsisAdam Kern offers a close reading of the vibrant popular imagination through kibyoshi, a genre of sophisticated pictorial fiction from late-eighteenth-century Japan. Illustrated with rare prints from Japanese archival collections, these entertaining works will appeal to the general reader as well as to the student of Japanese cultural history.Trade ReviewManga from the Floating World is a treasure trove of cultural tidbits… Kern’s love of his subject is infectious; how many scholarly books can be described as a joy to read? Mirroring the contradictions embodied in his beloved kibyoshi, Kern’s seemingly effortless, flowing prose belies a Mount Fuji of thoughtfulness, planning, imagination and erudition. He writes, as was once said of Raymond Chandler, like a slumming angel—but much more engagingly. His prodigious command of sources and generosity in crediting ideas are exemplary. His deft deployment of literary and cultural theory is as masterful as it is discreet. The book generates broad questions that resonate in the reader’s mind: How does humor ‘work’? What is the social role of the bestseller? What kinds of things do urban myths really tell us? How does the concept of au courant embody the seeds of its own demise? Why do people read? Some twenty years ago I asked Henry Smith why no one tried to do for Edo what Robert Darnton accomplished for eighteenth-century France in his classic The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History: giving readers the gift of mental time travel. The answer was that the Japanese material is nearly impossible for any single person to retrieve on that scale. Manga from the Floating World demonstrates that scholarship has advanced to the point that this now is possible. Kern’s book rivals Darnton’s. As one of Enjiro’s savvy cronies might have said to the author: ‘Arigatayama!’ -- Melinda Takeuchi * Impressions *The present volume is a brilliant introduction to the world of kibyoshi. Taking account of very different aspects of Edo’s literary and cultural life, Kern provides a fascinating view of a long-disregarded form of Edo literature. -- Stephan Kohn * Monumenta Nipponica *Adam L. Kern’s stylish study demonstrates clearly the lack of any ongoing tradition: the kibyoshi were forgotten until the modern Japanese comics industry, accused of slavish imitation of America, needed to provide itself with roots, or at least with distant, childless cousins. -- Roz Kaveney * Times Literary Supplement *An indispensable text in the fields of manga studies and the history of early modern Japanese popular culture…Kern’s work stands the test of time and amply illustrates his contention that, despite not having given rise to manga, the kibyôshi ‘offers a similarly informative, visually compelling, and perhaps even an ultimately meaningful glimpse into one of the world’s most fascinating civilizations during one of that civilization’s greatest cultural efflorescences.’ Students and scholars of manga studies, comics studies, and Japanese history will find much to reward them. -- Andrea Horbinski * Journal of Anime and Manga Studies *
£63.96
Harvard University Press Flowering Tales
Book SynopsisFlowering Tales is the first extensive literary study of A Tale of Flowering Fortunes (Eiga monogatari), a historical tale that covers 150 years of births, deaths, and happenings of late Heian society, a golden age of Japanese court literature.Trade ReviewSuperb…This study radiates an intense commitment to understanding Eiga on its own terms while at the same time striving to communicate its particular genius to an audience of a very different place and time…[O]ne can say that Watanabe has succeeded brilliantly in creating an empathetic study of an ‘affective history.’ -- Sonja Arntzen * Monumenta Nipponica *Superbly written, studded with thought-provoking analogies to contemporary social phenomena, this work illuminates Eiga as an original genre of ‘affective history.’ * Choice *Careful and insightful…we finally have a guidebook for navigating—and even appreciating—Akazome Emon’s impressive dedication to recording and structuring the world around her…Through meticulous readings and evocative imagery, Flowering Tales brings Emon’s world alive, and in revealing Eiga to be much more than the verbose musings of an undisciplined author, Watanabe enriches and complicates our understanding of Heian writings. -- Erin L. Brightwell * Journal of Japanese Studies *
£46.71
Harvard University, Asia Center Japans Imperial House in the Postwar Era 19452019
Book SynopsisWith the ascension of a new emperor and the dawn of the Reiwa Era, Kenneth J. Ruoff expands upon and updates The People’s Emperor, his study of the monarchy’s role as a political, societal, and cultural institution in contemporary Japan.Trade ReviewThree cheers to the Harvard University Asia Center for publishing an updated version of Ruoff’s landmark study of Japan’s postwar monarchy in a global context. In translation, the original edition was awarded Japan’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize and is considered by many Japanese to be the most important study of the monarchy ever published. In this updated edition, Ruoff deftly analyzes the Heisei Monarchy (1989–2019) under Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, including the abdication of Akihito, as well as the heir crisis that imperils the future of the imperial line. -- Sir David Cannadine, Dodge Professor of History, Princeton UniversityThe original edition of The People’s Emperor is the finest work we have on the Japanese monarchy since World War II, widely read and widely praised in its Japanese translation as well. The new and expanded edition assess the three-decade reign of the Heisei monarch, Akihito, with insight and balance. It thoughtfully addresses the ongoing challenges facing a male-only monarchy in an era of changing views on gender and a dearth of male heirs. -- Andrew Gordon, Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History, Harvard UniversityI am delighted that the incisive analysis of Japan’s monarchy in the postwar era provided in The People’s Emperor has been updated to include developments up through the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Japan. -- Takeshi Hara, Professor of Politics and Social Governance, The Open University of Japan
£46.71
Harvard University Press Japans Imperial House in the Postwar Era 19452019
Book SynopsisWith the ascension of a new emperor and the dawn of the Reiwa Era, Kenneth J. Ruoff expands upon and updates The People’s Emperor, his study of the monarchy’s role as a political, societal, and cultural institution in contemporary Japan.Trade ReviewThree cheers to the Harvard University Asia Center for publishing an updated version of Ruoff’s landmark study of Japan’s postwar monarchy in a global context. In translation, the original edition was awarded Japan’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize and is considered by many Japanese to be the most important study of the monarchy ever published. In this updated edition, Ruoff deftly analyzes the Heisei Monarchy (1989–2019) under Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, including the abdication of Akihito, as well as the heir crisis that imperils the future of the imperial line. -- Sir David Cannadine, Dodge Professor of History, Princeton UniversityThe original edition of The People’s Emperor is the finest work we have on the Japanese monarchy since World War II, widely read and widely praised in its Japanese translation as well. The new and expanded edition assess the three-decade reign of the Heisei monarch, Akihito, with insight and balance. It thoughtfully addresses the ongoing challenges facing a male-only monarchy in an era of changing views on gender and a dearth of male heirs. -- Andrew Gordon, Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History, Harvard UniversityI am delighted that the incisive analysis of Japan’s monarchy in the postwar era provided in The People’s Emperor has been updated to include developments up through the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Japan. -- Takeshi Hara, Professor of Politics and Social Governance, The Open University of Japan
£24.26
Harvard University Press Reflecting the Past Place Language and Principle
Book SynopsisDrawing on a decade of research, Erin Brightwell analyzes eight Mirrors and related medieval Japanese texts recounting the history of that time and place. Downplayed and obscured by previous scholars, the mirrors emerge as a once-dominant genre of historical writing—a means by which authors brought order to the chaos of the period.Trade ReviewThe originality of the approach produces a host of startling juxtapositions and trenchant questions that will stimulate and challenge any scholar of the medieval period. -- Brian Steininger * Journal of Japanese Studies *A major contribution to our understanding of premodern Japanese historiography; this review cannot do justice to the breadth and richness of Brightwell’s research, which answers important questions and raises many more…We should be grateful to Erin Brightwell for undertaking such a monumental task. Reflecting the Past’s sweep and ambition are remarkable; its arguments will compel scholars to fundamentally rethink how they approach not only mirrors but other well-known works like Gukanshō and Jinnō shōtōki as well. -- David Spafford * Monumenta Nipponica *
£43.31
Harvard University Press Atomic Doctors
Book SynopsisPhysicians were essential to the Manhattan Project, keeping participants and Americans near test sites safe from radiation. But they also downplayed the risks when military exigency demanded. James Nolan tells the story of these conflicted healers, who used their medical authority to enable the most lethal form of warfare humanity has yet devised.Trade ReviewUsually histories of the nuclear project at Los Alamos, N.M., during World War II dwell on tensions between the military officers overseeing the project and the physicists doing the necessary research. In this striking study, James L. Nolan Jr. looks at the disquieting participation of members of a third profession, medicine…[A] powerful and readable book. -- Thomas E. Ricks * New York Times Book Review *An admirable account of the central role of physicians in the Manhattan Project and its aftermath…Nolan’s skillful weaving of his grandfather’s story into an account of the pressures exerted on medical ethics by time, place, and circumstance makes for compelling reading. -- Jonathan D. Moreno * American Scientist *Through a many-layered story of people making momentous decisions under the most trying of circumstances, James Nolan plumbs deep questions about science and technology, medicine and war. Atomic Doctors is a special achievement—an important work of scholarship that is also a gripping and moving read. -- Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows and The Glass CageFascinating and disturbing, Atomic Doctors provides a behind-the-scenes view of the birth of the bomb. It’s a crucial addition to the literature of the atomic age. It also raises essential questions about science, society, and the moral compromises made in their service. -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth ExtinctionJames Nolan combines a compelling narrative of his grandfather’s experiences on the Manhattan Project with illuminating history and a morally sensitive account of medical dilemmas at a time of national crisis. Atomic Doctors is a profound and important book. -- Mary Ann Glendon, author of The Forum and the TowerWhat did it mean to have a calling as a physician in the making and use of the atomic bomb at the dawn of the nuclear age? James Nolan tells a riveting story of his grandfather and other physicians associated with the Manhattan Project, all of whom were faced with determining their allegiance to the Hippocratic ideal of primum non nocere (first, do no harm) while interacting with both scientists and soldiers intent on creating an atomic weapon that they believed would end the war. Nolan’s historical account is also a brilliant sociological assessment of the abiding tensions among these very different constituencies and of a cultural belief in the blessings of technology that continue to define modern life and its discontents. -- Jonathan B. Imber, author of Trusting DoctorsDescribe[s] how American doctors became connected to troubling events during World War II that raised thorny moral issues around medicine and war. -- Lawrence D. Freedman * Foreign Affairs *A disturbing account of the early years of the atomic bomb, when safety took second place to winning World War II…Haunting…A solid narrative of America’s painful introduction to atomic radiation. * Kirkus Reviews *This fine-grained and lucidly written account illuminates a little-known aspect of America’s nuclear history. * Publishers Weekly *James L. Nolan’s Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age focuses on the role of his grandfather James F. Nolan (1915–83) as a research physician in the unfolding drama of developing a nuclear bomb…[Nolan] clarifies important historical facts and opens an interdisciplinary academic discourse about the role of nuclear technology in American society. This approach makes the meticulously researched publication, perfectly placed seventy-five years after the Trinity test, a very readable book, despite its tragic subject. It gives a truthful insight into the complexity of a physician’s conscience and complicity at the dawn of the nuclear age. -- Eva Castringius * H-Net Reviews *Nolan's Atomic Doctors is a splendid, valuable, and necessary book. -- Leo van Bergen * Medicine, Conflict and Survival *That the military acted to deal with the medical concerns about radiation only when faced with legal pressure or loss of face is also an all too modern concept for not just the military but society…There is much for a reader to take away from the book regarding history and ethics. -- Lt. Col. Scott C. Martin, USAF * Air & Space Power Journal *As the grandson of the protagonist of the book, James L. Nolan, Jr. crafts a stunning narrative, in which personal accounts and family experiences are successfully amalgamated with academic rigor, situated within a large historical framework…Offer[s] counter-narratives that shed new insight into the dominant narrative of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -- Yuki Miyamoto * Western Historical Quarterly *Provides valuable historical background on the longstanding efforts to protect human health and the environment and understand the effects of radiation exposure…A must-read for anyone interested in understanding the history of nuclear research, weapons development and testing. -- Eric Boyle, Office of Legacy Management, US Department of EnergyIlluminates how Dr. Nolan at Los Alamos and two physician colleagues, Louis Hempelmann and Stafford Warren, dealt with the frightening human effects of nuclear radiation from the bomb. Combining an effective analysis of their efforts with a compelling telling of Dr. Nolan’s own story, the book enlarges America’s atomic bomb experience as a case study of truly disruptive technology in war and society. -- Sidney Perkowitz * Science Sketches *Carefully researched and engagingly written…As Nolan concludes, the willingness of health professionals—including physicians—to do the military’s bidding, and to condone experiments that were ‘technically sweet’ but ethically dubious, means that ‘the long shadow of the Manhattan Project…is still with us. -- Gregg Herken * California History *This story, full of both poignant family life and the challenges of working at remote U.S. military locations, is a tale worth reading not only for the historical value, but also to illustrate the dilemma that radiation posed to US leadership and downward through the ranks to the medical personnel…Highly recommended. -- Mark L. Maiello * Journal of Nuclear Materials Management *It is hard to imagine a more appropriate author for this impressive work of scholarship and interpretation than [Nolan]…It is an eminently readable history of the early years of the atomic age, presented as a case study that raises broader questions about the relationship between technological determinism and human freedom. -- Rachelle Linner * Technology and Society *In this gripping book, James L. Nolan Jr. narrates…a compelling commentary on not only the ethics of atomic warfare but also the technological experiments of our own age, including artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. -- Abena Dove Osseo-Asare * Technology and Culture *
£22.46
Harvard University Press Anecdote Network Gossip Performance
Book SynopsisIn his reading of the Shishuo xinyu, the most important anecdotal collection of medieval China, Jack W. Chen presents an extended meditation on the anecdote form, both what it affords in terms of representing a social community and how it provides a space for the rehearsal of certain longstanding philosophical and cultural arguments.Trade ReviewOffers new readings of the Shishuo xinyu that draw upon social network analysis, performance studies, theories of ritual and mourning, and concepts of gossip and reputation to illuminate how the anecdotes of the collection imagine and represent a political and cultural elite…Although each of the chapters may be read separately as an essay in its own right, when taken together, they present a comprehensive account of the Shishuo in all of its literary complexity. -- Xiaoxiao Li * Chinese Historical Review *
£43.31
Harvard University Press Testing the Literary
Book SynopsisAlexander Des Forges reads shiwen from a literary perspective, showing how the examination essay redefined prose aesthetics, transformed the work of writing, and marked the aesthetic as a key arena for contestation of authority as candidates, examiners, and critics joined to form a dominant social class of literary producers.
£43.31
Harvard University Press Meiji Restoration Losers
Book SynopsisThis book is about the losers of the Meiji Restoration and the supporters who promoted their legacy. Using sources ranging from essays by former Tokugawa supporters like Fukuzawa Yukichi to postwar film and “lost decade” manga, Michael Wert shows how shifting portrayals of Restoration losers have influenced the formation of national history.Trade ReviewMichael Wert offers a highly readable study of the complex policies of regional memory in modern Japan. * Journal of Asian Studies *Meiji Restoration Losers is essential reading for historians of the Makumatsu or Restoration eras, and highly recommended for any scholars with an interest in modern Japanese historiography. * Pacific Affairs *A fresh historical approach from a new generation. * Mainichi Shimbun *A book, brimming with ambition, that takes a big first step toward understanding ‘Japan’ from a different angle. * Yomiyori Shimbun *
£16.16
Harvard University Press Asia and Postwar Japan Deimperialization Civic
Book SynopsisDefeat in World War II profoundly shaped how the Japanese reconstructed national identity and reengaged with Asia. In Asia and Postwar Japan, Simon Avenell reveals the critical importance of Asia in Japanese thought, activism, and politics—as a symbolic geography, as a space for grassroots engagement, and as the source of a new politics of hope.Trade ReviewSimon Avenell’s wonderfully detailed study focuses on the Left’s intellectual evolution in post-war Japan…A valuable guide to the shifting mental topographies of Japan’s progressive community. -- John Nilsson-Wright * Global Asia *
£46.71
Harvard University Press Traveling Black
Book SynopsisWhat was it like to travel while Black under Jim Crow? Mia Bay brings this dramatic history to life. With gripping stories and a close eye on the rail, bus, and airline operators who implemented segregation, she shows why access to unrestricted mobility has been central to the Black freedom struggle since Reconstruction and remains so today.Trade ReviewIn Traveling Black, Mia Bay’s superb history of mobility and resistance, the question of literal movement becomes a way to understand the civil rights movement writ large…Bay…is an elegant storyteller, laying out the stark stakes at every turn while also showing how discrimination wasn’t just a matter of crushing predictability but often, and more insidiously, a haphazard jumble of risks…Her excellent book deepens our understanding of not just where we are but how we got here. -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *American identity is inextricably linked to freedom of movement. But for much of the nation’s history, black Americans have been barred from fully enjoying this freedom…Based on firsthand accounts and comprehensive archival research, Traveling Black details the manifest ways in which black Americans responded to limitations on their mobility. * Smithsonian *Meticulously examines how, with the arrival of each successive form of transportation technology—from those stagecoaches and trains to cars to buses to planes—there was hope on the part of African Americans (and their allies) that the invention would result in a fairer and more equitable system. But each time, white supremacy found its way into the new sphere. * Car and Driver *Takes readers on a journey through the history of segregated travel to travel issues faced by contemporary African Americans…Bay provides a detailed historical account of the experiences of African American travelers…A [deep] examination of the history of legal changes pertaining to segregation in transportation. -- Maggie E. C. Jones * Technology and Culture *A deep dive into the history of Black resistance to travel segregation…Bay offers a wealth of detail, reminding readers that for every Rosa Parks there are thousands of less famous people engaged in the same struggle, all worthy of having their stories told. * Christian Century *Fantastic…both a richly detailed history of travel and transportation from the late nineteenth century to the 1960s that centers the experiences of Black travelers, and a deeply researched history of resistance to discrimination that brings to light those travelers’ active and ongoing efforts to demand equal treatment…Bay urges us to rethink our histories of this era in order to acknowledge a much longer and more extensive pattern of resistance than previously known. -- Joanna Grisinger * Jotwell *Important and disturbing…Filled with vivid first-person accounts, Traveling Black is a superb history that captures a shameful aspect of the American story. -- Joseph Barbato * New York Journal of Books *A well-guided scholarly journey through Black travel experiences from the antebellum period to the present…Effectively organized, carefully argued, and meticulously researched, Traveling Black makes a significant contribution to the literature by tracing how the struggle over segregated travel ultimately led to the desegregation of all public spaces—one of the most important achievements of the civil rights movement. -- Karen Kossie-Chernyshev * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *Bay gives us an insightful history of travel segregation for Black people from the late 19th century to the 1960s…You’ll come away from Bay’s book with the realization that for every Rosa Parks…there were countless and unknown Black men and women in segregated America who lived and traveled with determination, resistance, and dignity. * Fodor’s Travel *Disturbing and absorbing…From stagecoaches to iron horses to Cadillacs to the unfriendly skies, Black people in the U.S. have never been truly free to traverse the open road…Bay elevates the importance of the Black right to mobility in the struggle for civil rights. Not simply a record of oppression, the book also illuminates the determined spirit that underpins the fight for Black equality across the country, exploring the methods that Black people have used to subvert a racist system that persists today…A book that shocks, shames, and enlightens. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *Mia Bay is one of America’s foremost intellectual and social historians, and her deft treatment of the personal indignities and structural inequities that beset African American travelers rearranges our understanding of the racial dimensions of one of our country’s most sacred rights—the right of free movement. In Bay’s telling, Black travelers emerge as innovators and early adopters of new transportation technologies, out of both social necessity and a dogged commitment to resisting every limit placed on their right to self-determination. She reminds us, as the best historians always do, that for African Americans you cannot understand the destination without sustained attention to the journey. -- Brittney Cooper, author of Eloquent RageThis extraordinary book is a powerful addition to the history of travel segregation. Traveling Black reveals how travel discrimination transformed over time from segregated trains to buses and Uber rides. Mia Bay shows that Black mobility has always been a struggle. -- Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an AntiracistOne of the supposed hallmarks of a free democratic society is the ability to travel without restriction. That has not been the case for Black Americans. From slavery through Jim Crow and beyond they faced a plethora of rules, formal and informal, that made travel a daunting enterprise. Mia Bay is one of the outstanding historians of her generation, and she asks crucial questions: Why were so many of the early challenges to segregated travel brought by women? Why was travel by train and bus such a problem for the racial hierarchy, particularly in the South, and why did it become such a focal point of resistance? Timely and well written, Traveling Black offers a powerful new vision of the long arc of protest against racial segregation in America. -- Annette Gordon-Reed, author of The Hemingses of MonticelloIn America, freedom so often is ‘just another word for’ the right to go where we want to go. Yet as Mia Bay reveals in her dynamic history, African Americans have rarely enjoyed this right without the strings—or stings—of discrimination, whether by law or custom, intimidation, or outright violence. At the core of her story is the struggle over human dignity itself. Bay takes us on a journey from the caprices of the early color line in the antebellum North to the harrowing experiences of ‘driving while Black’ today. Bay shows that the civil rights movement has much deeper roots than many imagine and its movements have long tracked the battle for safe and equal access to the rights of passage. Traveling Black is well worth the fare. Indeed, it is certain to become the new standard on this important, and too often forgotten, history. -- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of Stony the RoadTraveling Black is a stunning achievement that promises to transform our understanding of the character and importance of segregated travel. Based on prodigious research, its richly textured and insightful narrative takes us on a fascinating and eye-opening journey of discovery along the roads and rails of Jim Crow America. -- Raymond Arsenault, author of Freedom RidersA comprehensive survey of the relationship between travel restrictions, racial segregation, and civil rights in America. * Publishers Weekly *
£16.10
Harvard University Press The Annals of King Taejo Founder of Koreas
Book SynopsisNever before translated into English, this official history of the reign of King T’aejo—founder of Korea’s illustrious Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910 CE)—is a unique resource for reconstructing life in late-fourteenth-century Korea. It includes a wealth of detail not just about politics and war but also religion, astronomy, and the arts.Trade ReviewAnother masterpiece from Choi Byonghyon. Integrating a remarkably wide range of expertise in classical Chinese, Korean history, Confucianism, geography, and East Asian political structures, Choi offers an accessible translation for modern readers and a model for the rest of the vast ‘veritable records’ of the Chosŏn Dynasty. This book brings to life King T’aejo’s Sinicizing and yet profoundly Korean late fourteenth-century world. Readers can follow T’aejo and his court through the hopes and challenges of the dynasty’s founding era, including national reconstruction, state formation and legitimacy, ideological transformation, and the nature of leadership. The Annals of King T’aejo is a treasure trove for anyone interested in Korean and East Asian history. -- Byung-Kook Kim, Korea UniversityA welcome addition to an expanding list of Korean primary sources in English. Scholars, students, and general readers alike will find The Annals of King T’aejo a must to understand the transition from Koryŏ to Chosŏn Korea. -- Edward J. Shultz, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
£50.96
Harvard University Press Literary History in and beyond China
Book SynopsisThe essays in Literary History in and beyond China examine the anthological histories that shape the concept of a particular genre, the interpretive positions that impel our aesthetic judgments, the conceptual categories that determine how literary history is framed, and the history of literary historiography itself.
£35.66
Harvard University Press The Harlem Renaissance in Black and White
Book SynopsisBy restoring interracial dimensions left out of accounts of the Harlem Renaissanceor blamed for corrupting itGeorge Hutchinson transforms our understanding of black (and white) literary modernism, interracial literary relations, and twentieth-century cultural nationalism in the United States.Trade ReviewA groundbreaking book...Much of what happened in the black creative world dovetailed with what was happening in the white artistic world, and vice versa. It's difficult to separate the two, although it has been fashionable in recent years to single out artists in both camps and argue--unconvincingly...that certain black artists sold their souls to white hegemony...The brilliance of [this book] emerges from Hutchinson's reconstruction of an era, especially his painstaking examination of the early years of the movement. Hardly a scrap of information has been ignored, and the rewards are plentiful...One finishes reading The Harlem Renaissance in Black and White with a sense of invigoration and hope. -- Charles R. Larson * Chicago Tribune *George Hutchinson's The Harlem Renaissance in Black and White is one of those historical works that utterly and meticulously overturns most previous understanding of its subject matter. Hutchinson places the Harlem Renaissance in a wider context than previous commentators have done. He shows how the pluralist ideas of the Harlemites were part of much broader cultural and intellectual developments that took in pragmatism, the new relativistic anthropology of Franz Boas and a turn toward regionalism in fiction...Hutchinson's enthusiasm for the pragmatist outlook gives the book an energy and urgency that takes it far beyond the bounds of its historical subject matter. It deserves to be read by all those interested not just in a crucial episode of American cultural history, but in the ideal and reality of multiculturalism. -- Adam Lively * Times Literary Supplement *The great service of George Hutchinson's comprehensive study is its unabashed willingness to acknowledge the many inconsistent philosophical and institutional influences on those who brought the Renaissance to life: all the `pragmatist philosophers, Boasian anthropologists, socialist theorists, and new journalists' in the background...A landmark in the field. -- Carlin Romano * Philadelphia Inquirer *Hutchinson's study moves the Harlem Renaissance from the periphery of American life to the center. His courageous and sophisticated redefinition of 'Americanness' subverts the comfortable Jim Crowism of the contemporary academic discourse. His approach to American Studies calls for disciples, critical disciples anxious to move beyond their mentor. -- Maria Diedrich * American Studies *George Hutchinson presents to us in black and white the role of both black and white intellectuals in the shaping of the Harlem Renaissance...[A] well-researched and scholarly work. * Indian Journal of American Studies *The greatest strength of The Harlem Renaissance in Black and White lies in the author's portrayal of the discussions of concepts of nation and race that took place in the twenties in the United States. Hutchinson insightfully reminds us that contemporary controversies on multiculturalism, the canon and African American literature were initiated and anticipated by the Harlem Renaissance authors...The interdisciplinary qualities of this study make it highly recommendable to a wide academic readership, especially those engaged in cultural studies, American history and literature. -- Pilar Sánchez Calle * Borderlines [UK] *Authoritative and challenging, complex yet lucid, this volume is a welcome addition to recent studies of the Harlem Renaissance and of American cultural pluralism more generally. Hutchinson has produced an elaborate cultural history of the interactions between those writers, editors, and publishers who helped create and sustain the image of the New Negro during the 1920s. -- Martin Padget * American Studies *Hutchinson's study opens necessary and provocative new critical directions. -- S. Bryant * Choice *A refreshingly original analysis of a pivotal period in American cultural history. This book, in my opinion, is the most detailed and subtle study of the complex interplay between text and context, black and white, high modernism and the vernacular, in short, the hybridity that was the Renaissance. -- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsPart 1 American modernism, race and national culture: pragmatism and Americanism; the Americanization of "race" and "culture"; cultural pluralism and national identity; cultural nationalism and the lyrical Left. Part 2 The transformation of literary institutions: "The Crisis" and the nation's conscience; toward a new negro aesthetic; reading these United States - "The Nation" and "The New Republic"; the native arts of radicalism and/or race; V.F. Calverton, "The Modern Quarterly" and an anthology; mediating race and nation - the cultural politics of "The Messenger"; "Superior Intellectual Vaudeville" - "American Mercury"; black writing and modernist American publishing. Part III Producing "The New Negro": staging a Renaissance; "The New Negro" - an interpretation.
£57.76
Harvard University Press The Greatest Problem Religion and State
Book SynopsisTrent E. Maxey documents how religion came to be seen as the "greatest problem" by the architects of the modern Japanese state. Maxey shows that in Meiji Japan, religion designated a cognitive and social pluralism that resisted direct state control. It also provided the state with a means to contain, regulate, and neutralize that plurality.
£35.66
Harvard University, Asia Center The Destruction of the Medieval Chinese
Book SynopsisHistorians have long been perplexed by the complete disappearance of the medieval Chinese aristocracy by the tenth century—the “great clans” that had dominated China for centuries. Nicolas Tackett resolves the enigma of their disappearance using new, digital methodologies to analyze a dazzling array of sources.
£35.66
Harvard University, Asia Center Real and Imagined
Book SynopsisDuring the Heian period, the sacred mountain Kinpusen came to cultural prominence as a pilgrimage site for the most powerful men in Japan, but these journeys also had political implications. Using a myriad of sources, Heather Blair sheds new light on Kinpusen, positioning it within the broader religious and political history of the Heian period.Trade ReviewIn giving us a micro-history of Heian religious practices at Kinpusen within a macro-history of early and medieval Japanese mountain religion, Blair has produced a magnificent work, one deserving a wide readership among those interested not only in mountain religion but more broadly in premodern Japanese religion, history, and politics as well. -- Jonathan Stockdale * H-Net Reviews *Heather Blair has crafted an important work of true academic rigor and clarity that has splendidly reached its goals of illuminating the real and imagined histories of Kinpusen, and simultaneously of various facets of Heian religious and political life. With Blair’s novel engagements with sources and the theoretical models contributed, Real and Imagined will undoubtedly become a mainstay in the fields of premodern Japanese studies and religious history. -- Jonathan E. Thumas * Japanese Journal of Religious Studies *Specialists in pre-modern Japanese history and religious studies should find the book enlightening, but I think it would also appeal to a broader audience, including advanced undergraduates under professorial guidance. In short, the book is a major contribution to the field. -- Janet R. Goodwin * Journal of Religion in Japan *
£35.66
Harvard University Press Picturing the True Form Daoist Visual Culture in
Book SynopsisIn this richly illustrated book, Shih-shan Susan Huang investigates the visual culture of Daoism, China’s primary indigenous religion, from the tenth through thirteenth centuries with references to earlier and later times. Huang shows how Daoist image-making goes beyond the usual dichotomy of text and image to incorporate writings in image design.Trade ReviewPicturing the True Form undertakes a path-breaking and comprehensive treatment of a highly important topic in the study of Chinese religions: the nature and cultural import of Daoist art. With an unprecedented level of analysis and meticulous attention to detail, Susan Huang considers Daoist artworks from the perspective of cultural history and presents exciting new data on how Daoist art differed from that of Buddhism. The result is not only an assiduous investigation of Daoist visual culture, but a veritable history of Daoism itself. -- Paul Katz, Institute of Modern History, Academia SinicaHuang’s book is an enormously valuable and monumental undertaking, highly recommended, and will go far to spread awareness of the vast Daoist visual lexicon. -- Stephen Little, Los Angeles County Museum of ArtThe first of its kind, Picturing the True Form is a comprehensive mapping of Daoist images found in various media—paintings, diagrams, drawings, and woodblock prints scattered throughout the Daoist canon. Not only is the sheer magnitude of such an undertaking remarkable, but the judicious discrimination the author brings to bear in sorting out the visual materials makes this book all the more commendable. A sturdy building block in laying out a new field in the study of Daoist images, it will easily become a go-to volume on the nature and use of Daoist images. -- Eugene Wang, Harvard University
£30.56
Harvard University, Asia Center Defensive Positions
Book SynopsisIn Defensive Positions, Noell Wilson shows how control of coastal defense by regional domains exacerbated the shogunate's inability to respond to major military and political challenges as Japan transitioned from an early modern system of parcelized, local maritime defense to one of centralized, national security in the nineteenth century.
£30.56
Harvard University, Asia Center Population Disease and Land in Early Japan 645900
Book SynopsisW. Wayne Farris has developed the first systematic analysis of early Japanese population, the role of disease in economic development, and the impact of agricultural technology and practices. In doing so, he reinterprets the nature of ritsuryō institutions.Trade ReviewThese discussions of people and land in Japan’s classic age are major contributions to Western Japanology and should attract wide interest among scholars concerned with premodern populations. Never before has this material been presented so effectively in a Western language. * American Historical Review *The time span of the book is the two and a half centuries when Japan came under the influence of Chinese civilization; peasant life evolved from subsistence patterns to settled farming, primitive forms of political organization developed, there was a dramatic population increase, and the Japanese rulers adopted the Chinese model of census-taking. [Farris] has applied modern demographic techniques to these abundant, if fragmentary, tax and household data, giving a fascinating account of preindustrial society. * Biometrics *This [book] is based on an impressively wide and careful study of the official histories, extant administrative and fiscal documents, and extensive modern Japanese scholarship in such fields as economic history and archaeology. * Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society *
£18.86
Harvard University, Asia Center Precious Volumes
Book SynopsisThis book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of pao-chüan in any language, studies 34 early examples in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition. Although it focuses on content and structure, it also treats the social context of these works, as well as their transmission and ritual use.Trade ReviewOvermyer is one of the leading scholars who have revolutionized the study of Chinese religions… Although we are introduced to many precious volumes in this book, because he provides generous translations of key passages from the ones he discusses, we come away with clear ideas about their structures and contents. His translation is flawless and elegant… One cannot have a full understanding of Chinese religions without a knowledge of this tradition. Thanks to his dedicated research resulting in this important work, future students interested in this subject now have an indispensable guide. -- Chun-Fang Yu * Journal of Asian Studies *
£41.61
Harvard University, Asia Center Modernity with a Cold War Face
Book SynopsisThe 1949 birth of the People's Republic of China divided the nation into many political entities, displacing millions. Examining a body of understudied literary and cultural output in mainland China and elsewhere after World War II, Xiaojue Wang investigates how writers responded to these shifts to shape a new Chinese subjectivity in their works.
£30.56
Harvard University Press A Sense of Place The Political Landscape in Late
Book SynopsisA Sense of Place examines the vast Kanto region as a locus of cultural identity and an object of familial attachment in late fifteenth and early sixteenth century Japan. Using memoirs, letters, travelogues, land registers, and other documents, David Spafford analyzes the relationships of the eastern elites to the space they inhabited.
£30.56
Harvard University, Asia Center Korean Political and Economic Development Crisis
Book SynopsisThis study offers a new view of South Korea’s transformation since 1960. Focusing on three turning points—the creation of the development state in the 1960s, democratization in 1987, and the 1997 economic crisis—Jongryn Mo and Barry R. Weingast show how Korea sustained growth by resolving crises in favor of greater political and economic openness.
£30.56
Harvard University Press Prisoners of the Empire
Book SynopsisMany Allied POWs in the Pacific theater of World War II suffered terribly. But abuse wasn’t a matter of Japanese policy, as is commonly assumed. Sarah Kovner shows poorly trained guards and rogue commanders inflicted the most horrific damage. Camps close to centers of imperial power tended to be less violent, and many POWs died from friendly fire.Trade ReviewPrisoners of the Empire forces readers to rethink the morality-tale version of cruel Japanese treatment of Allied POWs. Kovner is unflinching in presenting harsh treatment by Japanese prison commanders or guards and unsparing in her attention to racism on all sides. Above all, she is clear-eyed in explaining how confusion and ignorance, more than consistent policy, shaped this tragic episode in the fog of war. -- Andrew Gordon, author of A Modern History of JapanThis innovative study of Japanese prisoner-of-war (POW) camps in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore during World War II explores how they were administered and what the prisoners experienced…Kovner’s vivid, detailed inquiry throws light on a host of subjects, including the racial and gender attitudes of the many cultures that encountered one another in wartime Asia. -- Andrew J. Nathan * Foreign Affairs *A rigorous and wide-ranging study of Japan’s treatment of POWs during WWII…This revisionist history adds essential nuance and depth to an emotionally charged subject. * Publishers Weekly *[An] excellent and unemotional account…She is not unsympathetic to the former POWs but provides a nuanced and dispassionate interpretation of what happened to those who became Japanese prisoners between 1942 and 1945. -- J. E. Hoare * Asian Affairs *The main thesis of this book holds true across Asia: simplistic notions of culturally determined cruelty do not fully explain the maltreatment of POWs, even though the conduct of the Pacific war was clearly infused with racism on both sides. The chaos of war, and the plea of ‘military necessity’—alas, so often the trump card during warfare—played a major role in this woeful erosion of humanity. -- Joan Beaumont * Australian Book Review *A ground-breaking survey of selected Japanese POW camps during the Asia–Pacific War that will be the starting point for all future studies of this topic. -- Samuel H. Yamashita * Journal of Japanese Studies *A much-needed corrective to our understanding of Japanese treatment of Allied prisoners. The book is well researched, and the author’s ability to work with Japanese-language sources makes this an extremely valuable contribution to the field of POW scholarship. Kovner’s careful consideration of the source material, her clear and fluid prose, and her critical eye provide a nuanced analysis that is long overdue. -- Derek R. Mallett * Journal of Military History *This is a significant contribution to the history of the Pacific War and the continuing discourse on prisoners of war more generally…Kovner successfully blends military, social, administrative, and diplomatic history into a highly readable study. -- Michael Sturma * Pacific Affairs *Kovner argues that there was nothing inherent in the Japanese character or culture that led to the inhumane treatment of POWs by Japan during the Pacific War…Makes an important contribution to our understanding of internment practices throughout the twentieth century. -- Mahon Murphy * Monumenta Nipponica *Standing on impressive transnational research in government and nongovernmental archives, Kovner complicates the popular consensus that Japan’s treatment of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II was singularly cruel and a systematic effort. By meticulously tracing the steps and missteps of Japan’s management of POW camps across its vast wartime empire, Kovner adjudicates from official records that there is no evidence of any top-down directive or an inherent quality of Japanese culture that explains why prisoners suffered. Instead, Kovner cogently argues that maltreatment resulted from the absence of planning and indifference among senior Japanese officials. -- Sandra H. Park * Journal of Asian Studies *Kovner reformats the complex ‘morality play’ depicted in Western history of prisoner of war suffering during World War II. Looking at the entirety of the Japanese empire at war, and focusing on the camps as locales within a cascade of battles for power, she challenges preconceptions that abuse stemmed solely from bushido ideals gone wrong or specific policies of cruelty. By comparatively investigating a vast range of experiences and geographic sites, Kovner overturns our stereotyped perceptions and challenges our understanding of POW history. -- Barak Kushner, author of Men to Devils, Devils to Men: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese JusticeIn a major work of original scholarship, Kovner reveals that who lived and who died often resulted not from policy but incompetence—poor training, lack of planning, disregard for anything but military priorities. With impressive daring, she situates camp lives within the larger context of occupation policies, diplomacy, and international law, and describes the multiethnic world of hundreds of thousands of POWs, civilian internees including women and children, and guards in the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, and Korea. Prisoners of the Empire is a signal critical accomplishment. -- Sabine Frühstück, author of Playing War: Children and the Paradoxes of Modern Militarism in JapanIn this ambitious study, Kovner moves beyond threadbare tropes of bushido and surrender-as-shameful to persuasively argue that Japanese treatment of POWs during World War II varied greatly across time and space—and cannot be fully understood without the broader context of Japanese diplomacy with the West, propaganda and strategic considerations, and the breakdown of discipline and logistics as Japan’s empire collapsed. Elegantly written and compulsively readable, this accessible narrative history will be of great interest to scholars and general readers alike. -- Nick Kapur, author of Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo
£27.86
Harvard University Press Searching for the Invisible Man
Book SynopsisThough centered on a single Jamaican sugar estate, and dealing largely with the period of formal slavery, this book is firmly placed in far wider contexts of place and time. The Invisible Man of the title is found, in the end, to be not just the formal slave but the ordinary black worker throughout the history of the plantation system.Table of ContentsPrologue: Worthy Park and Its Context, 1670-1975 Part 1: The Slave Population at Large 1. The Population before 1783 2. Demographic Patterns, 1783-1838 3. Mortality, Fertility, Life Expectancy, 1783-1838 4. Death, Disease, Medicine, 1783-1838 5. Economics, Employment, Social Cohesion, 1783-1838 Part 2: Individuals in Slave Society, Selected Biographies Introduction 6. Bunga--Men: Six Africans 7. Conformists: Ten Ordinary Slaves 8. Specialists: Five Slave Craftsmen 9. Accommodators: Five Patterns of Miscegenation 10. Resisters: Five Slave Nonconformists 11. Backra: Three Plantation Whites Part 3: The Sons of Slavery 12. The Transition to Free Wage Labor, 1834-1846 13. Continuities: Worthy Park's Modern Workers 14. The Rope Unraveled and Respliced: The Evidence of Genealogy 15. From House Slave to Middle Class: The Descendants of John Price Nash 16. From Field Slave to Peasant-Proletarian: The Descendants of Biddy and Nelson 17. Coda and Conclusion: The Seamless Cloth Appendixes A. The Slave Data and Its Deficiencies B. The Computer Programs C. A Doctor's Views on Childbirth, Infant Mortality, and the General Health of His Slave Charges, 1788 D. Medicine at Worthy Park, 1824 Notes
£102.36
