Representing Empire - by Ying Xiong (Paperback)

About the Book

By exploring the rich terrain of Japanese colonial literature in Taiwan and Manchuria, Representing Empire investigates the interplay between imperialism, nationalism, and Pan-Asianism during the era of Japan's territorial expansion in Asia.

Book Synopsis

In Representing Empire Ying Xiong examines Japanese-language colonial literature written by Japanese expatriate writers in Taiwan and Manchuria. Drawing on a wide range of Japanese and Chinese sources, Representing Empire reveals not only a nuanced picture of Japanese literary terrain but also the interplay between imperialism, nationalism, and Pan-Asianism in the colonies.

While the existing literature on Japanese nationalism has largely remained within the confines of national history, by using colonial literature as an example, Ying Xiong demonstrates that transnational forces shaped Japanese nationalism in the twentieth century.

With its multidisciplinary and comparative approach, Representing Empire adds to a growing body of literature that challenges traditional interpretations of Japanese nationalism and national literary canon.

Review Quotes

"Ying examines (sometimes in very great detail!) the complex and often fraught relationships these two expatriate native sons develop vis-à-vis empire. [...] the author's choice to expand the traditional focus of literary histories to include Japanese writers living in colonies brings a welcome sense of empathy and nuance from writers living among the colonized, who were themselves struggling with what might be seen as a "negative national" identity. Ying's volume opens up broad perspectives on the complex ambivalences that can emerge in different corners of the same empire, and invites us to give further consideration to the dynamics and effects of political, and literary, imperialism in fresh new ways."
J. Scott Miller, Brigham Young University, Recherche Littéraire / Literary Research 33 (Summer 2017)

"This volume is a significant contribution to the growing body of scholarship on East Asian literatures that examines [Japanese-language colonial literature written by Japanese expatriate writers in Taiwan and Manchuria] in broader transnational and comparative focus... with great skill, [Xiong] offer[s] a timely contribution to the field of comparative East Asian literatures."
Karen Thornber, Harvard University, The Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 42.2 (Summer 2016)

"Representing Empire is an outstanding accomplishment, at once making clearer and complicating our understandings of the literary worlds of Manchuria and Taiwan, and the greater imperial empire within which all were transformed. ... add[s] substantially to the ways in which Japan's empire and twentieth century East Asian history more generally might be interpreted."
Norman Smith, University of Guelph, Modern Chinese Literature and Culture Resource Center Publication (February, 2015)

"Representing Empire contributes in new ways to our understanding of colonial literature and identity formation in East Asia. Rather than the nation-state paradigm, the volume uses the interactions and transcultural forces within the East Asian domain to explore the larger forces of imperialism and nationalism and the ways that writers constructed their identities and engaged in their activities."
Rosemary Haddon, Massey University, New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, Vol 17.1 (June 2015)

"Ying Xiong's monograph contributes immensely to our understanding of knowledge production across the Japanese empire. Drawing on a wealth of highly original Japanese and Chinese primary sources--such as colonial literary journals that published literary criticism of local works or Japanese translations of Chinese literature--her study will be of great use to scholars in Chinese as well as Japanese literary or social studies... Ying Xiong not only transcends conventional disciplinary boundaries, but more importantly helps overcome linguistic limitations that many of us with a working knowledge in one Asian language might face when embarking on comparative Sino-Japanese research... Xiong's grasp of the materials treated in this fascinating monograph is impressive."
Frederik H. Green, San Fransisco State University, China Review International, Vol. 21.1 (2014)

About the Author

Ying Xiong, Ph.D (2011), University of Sydney, is a research associate at the Free University of Berlin, Germany.