Major American Publications on Japanese History, 1970–75, and their Post-War Setting

IN 1975 readers of American studies of Japanese history receive a total impression which suggests a strangely misedited film. Some periods are described by works of detail, accuracy and intellectual sophistication. Others are treated with a stereotyped simplicity which recalls a sequence of animated film. Despite the persistence of these two levels of historical writing their relative significance has changed rapidly in recent years. This brief essay seeks to outline some of these important movements against the political and academic background of recent decades. ¹