ABSTRACT
Inspired by the example set by Leo Tolstoy, the utopian ideal of humanism
took root in the minds of writers in Japan during the Taisho-period (1912-
26). For example, it is well known that Mushako-ji Saneatsu, the acknowl-
edged representative of the White Birch School, put into practice socialist
ideals of freedom and equality in the ‘‘new village’’ he created in Kyushu in
1918.1 Mushako-ji’s distinguished ancestry, his wealth, and the privileged
education he received in the Peers’ School leaves no doubt that he was a
member of the elite, as were the members of his coterie. It is important to note that such power resided in the hands of but a few, despite the impres-
sion that it was equally shared. I focus, in this chapter, on the representation
of ethnic minorities in literature of the period, underscoring relations of
power to show who represents whom, and with what effects on the group’s
subjectivity. The readings of the stories that follow are informed by con-
temporary theories of subalternity, cultural hybridity, and colonial mimicry,
all of which have led me to conclude that identity is the central theme of
Okinawan fiction. As I will show, works by Ikemiyagi Sekiho-and Hirotsu Kazuo provide an opportunity to illuminate how we understand the very
term ‘‘subaltern’’ and its various interpretations among postcolonial critics.
In turn, the literary texts I discuss show how identity is fractured along lines
of gender, ethnicity, and class, and confirm the heterogeneous nature of the
subaltern.
