{"product_id":"flowers-that-kill-9780804795890","title":"Flowers That Kill","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"...As debate continues over the meaning of the Japanese Constitution or the Confederate battle flag in America, this study adds valuable insights into the workings of symbolism and identity.\" -- Nicolas Gattig * \u003ci\u003eThe Japan Times\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFlowers That Kill\u003c\/i\u003e is a timely reminder of the limits of resistance and the power of symbols in a time where entrenched ideologies continue to propel political conflicts from all sides.\" -- Jason Danely * \u003ci\u003eAmerican Ethnologist\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFlowers That Kill\u003c\/i\u003e is a monumental work of political philosophy. Powerfully argued and dazzlingly precise, Ohnuki-Tierney's nuanced portrait of the linguistic, cultural, and historical underpinnings of political symbols across Japan and totalitarian Europe is essential reading for anyone interested in how propaganda actually works.\" -- Sharalyn Orbaugh * University of British Columbia *\u003cbr\u003e\"Contrasting the symbolism of cherry blossoms manipulated by the Japanese military state and that of the rose in Europe, Ohnuki-Tierney explores how authoritarian regimes use icons of popular culture to foster their domination. This superb book opens a new chapter in political anthropology, showing how the use of symbols in political discourse both produces meaning and disguises the foundations upon which this meaning is constructed.\" -- Philippe Descola * Collège de France *\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFlowers That Kill\u003c\/i\u003e is an impressive, wide-ranging feat of scholarship that illuminates a fascinating topic: the capacity of flowers to shift imperceptibly from benevolent symbols to harbingers of death and destruction. The deft but nuanced way in which Ohnuki-Tierney handles this sensitive material makes the book of crucial importance to academics and non-academics alike—really, to anyone still troubled by the horrors of World War II or by the human calamities of our times.\" -- Peter Geschiere * University of Amsterdam, author of \u003ci\u003ePerils of Belonging\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFlowers That Kill\u003c\/i\u003e is an important and daring new contribution to political anthropology. Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney investigates the use of owers, and other living things, in the schemes to bolster and enforce certain forms of political power, especially authoritarian politics.This is an audacious intervention into the political anthropology of propaganda and of the political gods and god father politicians that devise and deploy it. The book is certain to provoke much thought and debate.\" -- Magnus Fiskesjö * \u003ci\u003eAmerican Anthropologist\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContents and AbstractsIntroduction: Opacity, Misrecognition, and Other Complexities of Symbolic Communication chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eAs the animal considered closest to humans, the monkey is an important symbol in Japanese culture. Its symbolism consists of three major themes: mediator, scapegoat, and clown, each acquiring a dominant meaning in a particular historical period, but all three always constituting a palimpsest. As expressed in the monkey performance, its symbolism involves a subversive element—against the stratification in medieval times, against militarism at the height of Japan's imperial aggression, defiance against a social superior, and questioning the throne on which humans sit, ruling over all other animals. Yet, it never ignited a revolution or a social protest, even when the monkey was symbolically associated with the discriminated social group within which the monkey trainers were recruited, precisely because the simultaneous presence of the multiplicity of its meaning prevents any communicative clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e 1Japanese Cherry Blossoms: From the Beauty of Life to the Sublimity of Sacrificial Death chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eThe universe represented by Japanese cherry blossoms is full of paradoxes that become a generative power operating at both individual and collective level—simultaneously subverting and upholding the cultural and societal structure. Cherry blossom viewing is an arena for developing the collective identity of various social groups, and ultimately, the Japanese as a whole. All, including the self, are beautiful. When the Japanese military state foregrounded the symbolism of cherry blossoms to represent the sacrifice for Japan, hardly anyone, including the soldiers, recognized the change. The Japanese cherry blossoms offer an excellent example of how multiple meanings of a symbol and their aesthetic contribute to the ambiguity and opacity of communication through symbols.\u003c\/p\u003e 2European Roses: From \"Bread and Roses\" to the Aesthetization of Murderers chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eLike Japanese cherry blossoms, roses in Western European cultures are assigned a large number of meanings: Christ and the Virgin, birth, death and rebirth, love, beauty, life, joy and sorrow. As an important symbol of the common people against the establishment, the rose occupied a central place in the May Day festivals in medieval Europe, later leading to its role in the festival of the French Revolution. At the end of the nineteenth century, it became the symbol of the Socialist International. The rose as an important symbol of love and comradeship among workers was then used and abused to portray the dictator—Stalin and Hitler in particular—as the benevolent \"Father\" who loves the people. This flower is another example of how aesthetic and multiple meanings lead to the opacity of the message, preventing people to see the thorns behind the beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e 3The Subversive Monkey in Japanese Culture: From Scapegoat to Clown chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eAs the animal considered closest to humans, the monkey is an important symbol in Japanese culture. Its symbolism consists of three major themes: mediator, scapegoat, and clown, each acquiring a dominant meaning in a particular historical period, but all three always constituting a palimpsest. As expressed in the monkey performance, its symbolism involves a subversive element—against the stratification in medieval times, against militarism at the height of Japan's imperial aggression, defiance against a social superior, and questioning the throne on which humans sit, ruling over all other animals. Yet, it never ignited a revolution or a social protest, even when the monkey was symbolically associated with the discriminated social group within which the monkey trainers were recruited, precisely because the simultaneous presence of the multiplicity of its meaning prevents any communicative clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e 4Rice and the Japanese Collective Self: Purity of Exclusion chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eAs the animal considered closest to humans, the monkey is an important symbol in Japanese culture. Its symbolism consists of three major themes: mediator, scapegoat, and clown, each acquiring a dominant meaning in a particular historical period, but all three always constituting a palimpsest. As expressed in the monkey performance, its symbolism involves a subversive element—against the stratification in medieval times, against militarism at the height of Japan's imperial aggression, defiance against a social superior, and questioning the throne on which humans sit, ruling over all other animals. Yet, it never ignited a revolution or a social protest, even when the monkey was symbolically associated with the discriminated social group within which the monkey trainers were recruited, precisely because the simultaneous presence of the multiplicity of its meaning prevents any communicative clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e 5The Collective Self and Cultural\/Political Nationalisms: Cross-Cultural Perspectives chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eAs the animal considered closest to humans, the monkey is an important symbol in Japanese culture. Its symbolism consists of three major themes: mediator, scapegoat, and clown, each acquiring a dominant meaning in a particular historical period, but all three always constituting a palimpsest. As expressed in the monkey performance, its symbolism involves a subversive element—against the stratification in medieval times, against militarism at the height of Japan's imperial aggression, defiance against a social superior, and questioning the throne on which humans sit, ruling over all other animals. Yet, it never ignited a revolution or a social protest, even when the monkey was symbolically associated with the discriminated social group within which the monkey trainers were recruited, precisely because the simultaneous presence of the multiplicity of its meaning prevents any communicative clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e 6The Invisible and Inaudible Japanese Emperor chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eAs the animal considered closest to humans, the monkey is an important symbol in Japanese culture. Its symbolism consists of three major themes: mediator, scapegoat, and clown, each acquiring a dominant meaning in a particular historical period, but all three always constituting a palimpsest. As expressed in the monkey performance, its symbolism involves a subversive element—against the stratification in medieval times, against militarism at the height of Japan's imperial aggression, defiance against a social superior, and questioning the throne on which humans sit, ruling over all other animals. Yet, it never ignited a revolution or a social protest, even when the monkey was symbolically associated with the discriminated social group within which the monkey trainers were recruited, precisely because the simultaneous presence of the multiplicity of its meaning prevents any communicative clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e 7(Non-)Externalization of Religious and Political Authority\/Power: A Cross-Cultural Perspective chapter abstract\u003cp\u003eAs the animal considered closest to humans, the monkey is an important symbol in Japanese culture. Its symbolism consists of three major themes: mediator, scapegoat, and clown, each acquiring a dominant meaning in a particular historical period, but all three always constituting a palimpsest. As expressed in the monkey performance, its symbolism involves a subversive element—against the stratification in medieval times, against militarism at the height of Japan's imperial aggression, defiance against a social superior, and questioning the throne on which humans sit, ruling over all other animals. Yet, it never ignited a revolution or a social protest, even when the monkey was symbolically associated with the discriminated social group within which the monkey trainers were recruited, precisely because the simultaneous presence of the multiplicity of its meaning prevents any communicative clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stanford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49405625336151,"sku":"9780804795890","price":22.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780804795890.jpg?v=1730493043","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/flowers-that-kill-9780804795890","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}