The Politics of Time in China and Japan: Back to the Future

This book explores how Chinese and Japanese intellectuals mobilized the past to create a better future, especially in the context of Asia's tensions and China's rise. It highlights how thinkers have weaved together nationalism, internationalism, and a politics of time throughout history, and how understanding East Asian pasts is essential to making sense of ideological trends in contemporary China and Japan.

Format: Hardback
Length: 178 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Drawing on a diverse array of texts and employing an interdisciplinary approach, this volume demonstrates how Chinese and Japanese intellectuals harnessed the past to shape a brighter future. Its significance is particularly poignant in today's context, where Asia is grappling with tensions and China's rise, prompting East Asian intellectuals and governments to continually reinterpret their traditions for political purposes. The essays shed light on how thinkers in China and Japan have interwoven nationalism, internationalism, and a politics of time throughout their history. This volume delves into a wide range of topics, including premodern and early modern attempts to cultivate a Confucianist politics, twentieth-century Japanese Marxist interpretations of Buddhism, and Japanese and Chinese efforts to envision a new global order. In essence, this book underscores the importance of understanding East Asian pasts in comprehending the ideological currents in contemporary China and Japan. For instance, without a grasp of Confucianism and how modern Chinese intellectuals have engaged with this philosophical tradition, it would be challenging to make sense of the Chinese government's ongoing promotion of the Chinese classics. This book will appeal to students and scholars of political science, history, Asian studies, sociology, and philosophy.

Weight: 500g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367675448