Race and racism

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter argues that race and racism have been powerful factors in the history of modern Japan. Although Japan entered the modern era without a well-defined racist framework, in the late nineteenth century it was exposed to Western racism and soon began to adopt certain aspects of it. As a concept, race held powerful appeal in Japan because it was associated with the West, modernization, and the quest for great-nation status. The concept was ambiguous, though, because it stimulated both civilizational and imperial expansion. Following World War II, the issue of race lost much of its importance, but its reverberations remain today, in particular regarding minority ethnic groups and immigrants.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRoutledge handbook of modern Japanese history
EditorsSven Saaler, Christopher W.A. Szpilman
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherRoutledge
Pages92-102
Number of pages11
ISBN (Print) 9781138815186
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

Publication series

NameRoutledge handbook

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