Author Description

"This book examines the culture and society of Japan primarily during the years immediately before and after WWII (1937-1952), but it also reaches back to the 1920s and even touches upon events as recent as the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In doing so, Lucken argues that the ways of remembering WWII continue to define the present in Japan and elsewhere. His cultural focus includes not just literature and art, but topics such as propaganda films, clothing restrictions, and educational reform, with a particular emphasis on representations and ideas transmitted through mass media. The most important aspect of the study is the use of Japanese-language sources which have not always been adequately used in Western historical studies of the period. The argument which emerges is that the historiography and cultural memory of the era in Japan has been distorted by English-language, mostly U.S., scholarship. This approach also leads to a reexamination of the US occupation, among other events, while still keeping the cultural issues at the forefront" -- Provided by publisher.