Civilization and Monsters

Spirits of Modernity in Meiji Japan

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Customs & Traditions, History, Asian, Japan, Anthropology
Cover of the book Civilization and Monsters by Gerald Figal, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gerald Figal ISBN: 9780822396338
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: January 17, 2000
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Gerald Figal
ISBN: 9780822396338
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: January 17, 2000
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Monsters, ghosts, the supernatural, the fantastic, the mysterious. These are not usually considered the “stuff” of modernism. More often they are regarded as inconsequential to the study of the modern, or, at best, seen as representative of traditional beliefs that are overcome and left behind in the transformation toward modernity. In Civilization and Monsters Gerald Figal asserts that discourse on the fantastic was at the heart of the historical configuration of Japanese modernity—that the representation of the magical and mysterious played an integral part in the production of modernity beginning in Meiji Japan (1868–1912).
After discussing the role of the fantastic in everyday Japan at the eve of the Meiji period, Figal draws new connections between folklorists, writers, educators, state ideologues, and policymakers, all of whom crossed paths in a contest over supernatural terrain. He shows the ways in which a determined Meiji state was engaged in a battle to suppress, denigrate, manipulate, or reincorporate folk belief as part of an effort toward the consolidation of a modern national culture. Modern medicine and education, functioning as a means for the state to exercise its power, redefined folk practices as a source of evil. Diverse local spirits were supplanted by a new Japanese Spirit, embodied by the newly constituted emperor, the supernatural source of the nation’s strength. The monsters of folklore were identified, catalogued, and characterized according to a new regime of modern reason. But whether engaged to support state power and forge a national citizenry or to critique the arbitrary nature of that power, the fantastic, as Figal maintains, is the constant condition of Japanese modernity in all its contradictions. Furthermore, he argues, modernity in general is born of fantasy in ways that have scarcely been recognized.
Bringing unexplored and provocative new ideas to the Japan specialist, Civilization and Monsters will also appeal to readers concerned with issues of modernity in general.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Monsters, ghosts, the supernatural, the fantastic, the mysterious. These are not usually considered the “stuff” of modernism. More often they are regarded as inconsequential to the study of the modern, or, at best, seen as representative of traditional beliefs that are overcome and left behind in the transformation toward modernity. In Civilization and Monsters Gerald Figal asserts that discourse on the fantastic was at the heart of the historical configuration of Japanese modernity—that the representation of the magical and mysterious played an integral part in the production of modernity beginning in Meiji Japan (1868–1912).
After discussing the role of the fantastic in everyday Japan at the eve of the Meiji period, Figal draws new connections between folklorists, writers, educators, state ideologues, and policymakers, all of whom crossed paths in a contest over supernatural terrain. He shows the ways in which a determined Meiji state was engaged in a battle to suppress, denigrate, manipulate, or reincorporate folk belief as part of an effort toward the consolidation of a modern national culture. Modern medicine and education, functioning as a means for the state to exercise its power, redefined folk practices as a source of evil. Diverse local spirits were supplanted by a new Japanese Spirit, embodied by the newly constituted emperor, the supernatural source of the nation’s strength. The monsters of folklore were identified, catalogued, and characterized according to a new regime of modern reason. But whether engaged to support state power and forge a national citizenry or to critique the arbitrary nature of that power, the fantastic, as Figal maintains, is the constant condition of Japanese modernity in all its contradictions. Furthermore, he argues, modernity in general is born of fantasy in ways that have scarcely been recognized.
Bringing unexplored and provocative new ideas to the Japan specialist, Civilization and Monsters will also appeal to readers concerned with issues of modernity in general.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Landscapes of Devils by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Callaloo Nation by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book The Nick of Time by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Zhang Hongtu by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Cultures in Contact by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Against the Closet by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book From the Grassroots to the Supreme Court by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book The Proletarian Gamble by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Richard Price and the Ethical Foundations of the American Revolution by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Home Away from Home by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Negotiating National Identity by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Remembering Pinochet's Chile by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book A Discontented Diaspora by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book The Universal Machine by Gerald Figal
Cover of the book Landscape with Human Figure by Gerald Figal
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy