Gendering modern Japanese history /

In 1997, 16 scholars met under the leadership of and with the support of Santa Clara University in an academic workshop to explore the gender history of modern Japan. Subsequently, all presenters reworked their drafts to make a coherent, logically linked volume that is much more than a collection of random essays, resulting in a very thorough exploration of virtually every imaginable angle on this topic. The editors have divided the contributions into five equal-length sections, dealing variously with selfhood and culture, bodies and sexualities, empire and war, work and economy, and theories and their applications. Contributors include several younger scholars as well as better-known figures such as Andrew Gordon and Janet Hunter. Although any reader would benefit from some prior acquaintance with Japanese history, the authors are careful to explain historical context and translate Japanese terminology. Further, the entire volume is free of jargon and special-purpose language. The result is a surprisingly fresh and quite thoroughly readable volume, and therefore one that might have both appeal and utility to a wider audience than the title might initially suggest. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. R. B. Lyman Jr. Brandeis University