Placing Empire - by Kate McDonald (Paperback)

About the Book

"Placing Empire examines the spatial politics of Japanese imperialism through a study of Japanese travel and tourism to Korea, Manchuria, and Taiwan between the late nineteenth century and the early 1950s. In a departure from standard histories of Japan, this book shows how debates over the place of colonized lands reshaped the social and spatial imaginary of the modern Japanese nation and how, in turn, this sociospatial imaginary affected the ways in which colonial difference was conceptualized and enacted. In so doing, it illuminates how ideas of place became central to the production of new forms of colonial hierarchy as empires around the globe transitioned from an era of territorial acquisition to one of territorial maintenance"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.

Placing Empire examines the spatial politics of Japanese imperialism through a study of Japanese travel and tourism to Korea, Manchuria, and Taiwan between the late nineteenth century and the early 1950s. In a departure from standard histories of Japan, this book shows how debates over the role of colonized lands reshaped the social and spatial imaginary of the modern Japanese nation and how, in turn, this sociospatial imaginary affected the ways in which colonial difference was conceptualized and enacted. The book thus illuminates how ideas of place became central to the production of new forms of colonial hierarchy as empires around the globe transitioned from an era of territorial acquisition to one of territorial maintenance.

From the Back Cover

"Tourism 'made' the empire and was instrumental in turning Asian lands into Japanese space. In her thoughtful and sophisticated study, Kate McDonald shows how traveling to overseas battlefields and cultural sights not only brought the empire closer for many Japanese, but also made it home."--Sebastian Conrad, author of The Quest for the Lost Nation: Writing History in Germany and Japan in the American Century

"McDonald re-creates a geographic and social imaginary of colonial incorporation through Japanese travel and tourism. Bold and ambitious, this book contributes to the understanding of the spatial politics of empire building, a subject of great interest to scholars of Japanese empire and beyond."--Leo T.S. Ching, Duke University

"Richly researched and written in an accessible language, Placing Empire interrogates imperial tourism as an essential engine that drove the making of empire. McDonald brings into focus the mechanisms of imperial tourism to explain how colonial territories--Korea, Manchuria and Taiwan-- were incorporated into the empire, not only in terms of geography but, more important, of social imagination. A long-awaited and timely contribution to the field."--Helen J.S. Lee, Yonsei University

Review Quotes

"[McDonald's] examination of the Japanese pursuit of a multicultural empire through the lens of travel is a singular achievement; it deserves to be widely read."-- "Journal of Transport History"

"Essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the popular support underpinning Japan's imperialist expansion in the early twentieth century . . . it will encourage all historians to think more carefully about the ways that their own narratives contribute to the spatial politics of the societies we study."-- "Journal of Japanese Studies"

"Excellent . . . a long-awaited development." -- "Contemporary Japan"

"Kate McDonald's masterful analysis interweaves theory and primary texts to examine the spatial politics of 'place' in the context of imperial Japan."-- "Monumenta Nipponica"

"One of the breakthrough ideas in this book is how McDonald details the ways Japanese travelers to Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan featured a prescient cultural pluralism. . . . [and] the most interesting aspect of McDonald's work is the way it links this cultural pluralism to a phenomenology of Japanese travel."-- "Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies"

About the Author

Kate McDonald is Associate Professor of Modern Japanese History at the University of California, Santa Barbara.