Tenko: Cultures of Political Conversion in Transwar Japan

This book explores the concept of tenkō (political conversion) in response to the global crisis of interwar modernity, focusing on the expressions of ideological conversion performed by members of the Japanese Communist Party in 1933. It offers international perspectives from established and early career scholars, drawing on a wide range of interdisciplinary methodologies to explore tenkō through new conceptual and analytical frameworks. The book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Japanese and East Asian history, literature, and politics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 246 pages
Publication date: 18 December 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book explores the concept of tenkō, or political conversion, as a response to the global crisis of interwar modernity, rather than a distinct Japanese experience in postwar debates. Tenkō refers to the ideological conversions undertaken by members of the Japanese Communist Party in 1933, where they renounced Marxism and expressed support for Japan's imperial expansion on the continent. While tenkō has a significant place in Japan's postwar intellectual and literary histories, this contributed volume is one of the first in English-language scholarship to approach the phenomenon. International perspectives from established and early career scholars demonstrate that tenkō is inseparable from the global politics of empire, deeply marked by an age of mechanical reproduction, media, and language manipulation. Chapters draw on a wide range of interdisciplinary methodologies, including political theory, intellectual history, and literary studies, to explore tenkō through new conceptual and analytical frameworks. These frameworks address issues such as gender and the role of affect in politics, making the phenomenon particularly relevant to the contemporary moment.

Tenkō: Cultures of Political Conversion in Transwar Japan will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Japanese and East Asian history, literature, and politics. It offers a fresh perspective on a significant historical phenomenon and contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay between global and local forces in the mid-20th century.

Weight: 456g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367770365