Japan remains one of the most intriguing yet least understood nations. In a much needed, balanced and comprehensive analysis, among other remarkable revelations, this book presents for the first time a vital key to understanding the organisation of Japan's society and the behaviour of its people. The Japanese are not driven by a universal morality based on Good and Evil, but by broad aesthetic concepts based on Pure and Impure. What they include as 'impure' will surprise many readers.

Autorentext

Kenneth G. Henshall is Professor of Japanese Studies in the department of Asian Studies at the University of Canterbury, UK

Inhalt

Preface Introduction: Japan as Other, and the Other Japan The Essentials of Society: Men and Women On the Fringes of Society: Minorities and Other Marginal The Mainstream of Society: Being a Normal Japanese Conclusion: Japan as Itself, and the Aesthetics of Purity References Glossary of Key Japanese Terms Index