Ruffians, Yakuza, Nationalists

The Violent Politics of Modern Japan, 1860–1960

Häftad, Engelska, 2015

AvEiko Maruko Siniawer

569 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 10-15 vardagar. Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.

Finns i fler format (1)

Inbunden

939 kr

Skickas inom 10-15 vardagar

Violence and democracy may seem fundamentally incompatible, but the two have often been intimately and inextricably linked. In Ruffians, Yakuza, Nationalists, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues that violence has been embedded in the practice of modern Japanese politics from the very inception of the country's experiment with democracy. As soon as the parliament opened its doors in 1890, brawls, fistfights, vandalism, threats, and intimidation quickly became a fixture in Japanese politics, from campaigns and elections to legislative debates. Most of this physical force was wielded by what Siniawer calls "violence specialists": ruffians and yakuza. Their systemic and enduring political violence-in the streets, in the halls of parliament, during popular protests, and amid labor strife-ultimately compromised party politics in Japan and contributed to the rise of militarism in the 1930s.For the post-World War II years, Siniawer illustrates how the Japanese developed a preference for money over violence as a political tool of choice. This change in tactics signaled a political shift, but not necessarily an evolution, as corruption and bribery were in some ways more insidious, exclusionary, and undemocratic than violence. Siniawer demonstrates that the practice of politics in Japan has been dangerous, chaotic, and far more violent than previously thought. Additionally, crime has been more political. Throughout the book, Siniawer makes clear that certain yakuza groups were ideological in nature, contrary to the common understanding of organized crime as nonideological. Ruffians, Yakuza, Nationalists is essential reading for anyone wanting to comprehend the role of violence in the formation of modern nation-states and its place in both democratic and fascist movements.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2015-03-19
Mått155 x 235 x 18 mm
Vikt907 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor288
FörlagCornell University Press
ISBN9780801456824

Tillhör följande kategorier

IntroductionPolitical Violence in Historiographical PerspectiveViolence, Violence Specialists, and PoliticsViolence and DemocracyApproaches to Comparative HistoryChapter 1. Patriots and Gamblers: Violence and the Formation of the Meiji StateShishi: Assassins, Rebels, PatriotsShishi Legacies in the Early Meiji PeriodBakuto: Outlaws, Robin Hoods, Local LeadersBakuto and the Meiji RestorationBakuto as Political Violence Specialists: The Freedom and People's Rights MovementChapter 2. Violent Democracy: Ruffians and the Birth of Parliamentary PoliticsFrom Activist to Ruffian: Soshi in the 1880sExporting Violence: Nationalist Tairiku Ronin across BordersParliamentary Politics and the Professionalization of SoshiState Violence and the Second General ElectionChapter 3. Institutionalized Ruffianism and a Culture of Political ViolenceThe Jiyuto Ingaidan and Its BossesThe Seiyukai Ingaidan in Party PoliticsCultures of Violence: Yakuza Bosses in Diet PoliticsChapter 4. Fascist Violence: Ideology and Power in Prewar JapanFascist IdeologiesFascist ViolenceThe Nationalist Nexus in the Metropole and BeyondViolence in the Decline of the Political PartiesChapter 5. Democracy Reconstructed: Violence Specialists in the Postwar PeriodThe Decline of Soshi and the Remaking of Ingaidan ViolenceViolence as a Political and Discursive Weapon in Diet Politics"Boryokudan" Redux: Yakuza and the Conservative Nexus1960: The Apogee of Postwar Violence SpecialistsCoda: Political Violence after 1960AfterwordViolence and DemocracyViolence, Fascism, MilitarismViolence Specialists and HistoryA Contemporary Perspective on Violent DemocracyGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex

Gamblers, ruffians, thugs, and yakuza have left a major imprint on contemporary Japanese politics and political style, and Siniawer tells their story well.(Journal of Asian Studies) In this important work, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues very convincingly that violence, especially political violence, was a pervasive, highly influential, and nearly continuous force in Japan between the late Tokugawa age and the 1960s.(Japanese Studies) Siniawer's essential contention—that violence was a systemic, continuous feature of politics, which exerted a major impact on the nature of Japanese democracy—is demonstrated convincingly. Scholars inclined to emphasize the 'brighter side' of Japan's modern history may find this work troublesome. And that is a good thing.(Pacific Affairs)