Political Thought and Japan's New Left Movements

Arguing for the importance of taking Japanese political thought seriously, this book is the first to bring together authoritative essays by world experts on the thinkers who shaped Japan's New Left movement. In doing so, it demonstrates the distinctiveness and significance of Japanese left-wing thought, providing an invaluable resource for students of twentieth-century radical politics. Highlighting connections between thinkers, their historical circumstances, and their biographies, Political Thought and Japan's New Left Movements provides concise and accessible overviews of the theoretical approaches developed by key political thinkers and evaluates the development and impact of their ideas. The 1960s New Left doctrine, which broke with the seemingly outdated orthodox Marxist approach, became a cultural and political force that reshaped, albeit in diverse and unintended ways, the nations in which it emerged. Japan's experience of the New Left was no less dramatic, yet Western thinkers have largely overshadowed the contributions of Japan's New Left. This book finally redresses the balance and shines a light on Japanese New Left interpretations.