Sovereignty and Authenticity: Manchukuo and the East Asian Modern

(Paperback)

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Description

In this powerful and provocative book, Prasenjit Duara uses the intriguing case of Manchukuo--the Japanese puppet state in northeast China from 1932-1945--to explore how such antinomies as imperialism and nationalism, modernity and tradition, and governmentality and exploitation interacted in the post-World War I period. He argues that Manchukuo, as a transparently constructed nation-state, offers a unique historical laboratory for examining the utilization and transformation of circulating global forces mediated by the East Asian modern. With its sweepingly original theoretical and comparative perspectives on nationalism and imperialism, this book will be essential reading for all those interested in contemporary history.

Reviews

Duara has written a wonderfully crafted, thought-provoking book using a range of disciplines to explore the interplay between nationalism and imperialism, showing how they are historically and functionally interconnected. This important and well-researched work considers several important issues related to 20th-century imperialism in East Asia. Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *
An impressive and strongly recommended work of World War II era history. * Library Bookwatch *
A major work that overturns assumptions about nations, empires, and identity. The interdisciplinarity of the bookhistory, anthropology, literary theoryis breathtaking. -- Rana Mitter, University of Oxford
A wholly original work that will make a substantial contribution to our understanding of the development of the nation-state in East Asia in the 20th century. It offers a feast of careful thinking about the linkages between the nation, politics, scholarship, and culture. -- Mark C. Elliott, University of Michigan
Sovereignty and Authenticity is a tour de force, covering and illuminating an astonishing amount of ground. By plunging in depth into the detail of Manchukuo, Duara elucidates the universal dilemmas of modernity. -- Gavan McCormack, The Australian National University
Duara's book ably explores the complexity of Manchukuo while providing us with a fruitful theoretical framework and useful tools for the broader comparative study of nationalism in the 20th century. * American Journal of Sociology *
This imaginative, rich, suggestive, and immensely erudite book offers much to ponder on the interconnected questions of nationalism and imperialism, sovereignty and authenticity, and the regional and global cultures of modernity. * Journal of Asian Studies *
An immensely rich and imaginative study of Japanese-controlled Manchuria. It makes an exciting and important contribution to our understanding of the complexity of Manchurian history, Japanese imperialism, and East Asian nationalism. * American Historical Review *
Prasenjit Duara . . . offers us a wholly original, path-breaking, and interdisciplinary approach to the geopolitical area of East Asia. . . . [His] book is an embodiment of a new imagination of the East Asian modern. * Journal of World History *
A bold, imaginative, and extraordinarily well-researched study. -- Sheldon Garon, Princeton University

Author Bio

Prasenjit Duara is professor in the Department of History and professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago.