Marxist history and postwar Japanese nationalism

"This book explores the historical writings of postwar Japanese Marxists - who were, and who continue to be, surprisingly numerous in the Japanese academic world. It shows how they developed, through historical writing, ideas of "radical nationalism", which accepted presupposed ideas of Japan's "ethnic homogeneity", whilst creating a sphere of radical political action against the state, the American occupation and global capital. By comparing prewar and postwar Marxist historiography, Gayle shows that in the postwar period, ideas were much more elaborate and greater emphasis was placed on national education and social mobilization. Finally, he shows how these early postwar discourses have made their way into contemporary ethnic nationalism and revisionism in Japan today."--BOOK JACKET.