What Is Modernity?: Writings of Takeuchi Yoshimi

Regarded as one of the foremost thinkers in Japanese postwar intellectual history, Takeuchi Yoshimi questioned the very nature of thought, emphasizing that thinking is less a subjective act than an opening to alterity. His works were central in drawing Japanese attention to the problems inherent in western colonialism and to the cultural importance of Asia, especially China. This book represents the first appearance of Takeuchi's essays in English translation and explores Japanese modernity, literature, and nationalism as well as Chinese intellectual history.