Reasonable Men, Powerful Words: Political Culture and Expertise in Twentieth Century Japan (Twentieth Century Japan the Emergence of a World Power) [Hardcover]

Laura Hein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0520243471 | ISBN-13: 978-0520243477 | Edition: 1

Reasonable Men, Powerful Words traces the development of political culture in twentieth-century Japan through a social and intellectual biography of six Japanese economists who influenced national political life in significant ways. The global ascendance of social scientists is one of the defining characteristics of modernity. They dedicated themselves to an extraordinary range of public policies, including eliminating poverty, reducing disparities of wealth, reshaping the relationship between government and citizen, building a strong economy devoid of a military component, and creating an educated and politically active populace in Japan.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"This is a splendid book, and the research--unusually challenging in both its nature and its scope--is strong. Laura Hein introduces us to the lives and work of an influential group of mid-20th century Japanese economists and to the rise of social-science thinking in modern Japan. She conveys in vivid detail a number of developments that highlight the complex nature of the country's modernity."--John Dower, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"Laura Hein has given us a very valuable contribution to the history of social sciences in Japan, especially the history of economics as a social science, and most of all as a demonstration of the salience of Marxism in economic thought on the left across decades from the late 1920s through the 1970s. . . . She writes invitingly and engagingly."--Andrew E. Barshay, University of California, Berkeley

From the Back Cover

"This is a splendid book, and the research--unusually challenging in both its nature and its scope--is strong. Laura Hein introduces us to the lives and work of an influential group of mid-20th century Japanese economists and to the rise of social-science thinking in modern Japan. She conveys in vivid detail a number of developments that highlight the complex nature of the country's modernity."-John Dower, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "Laura Hein has given us a very valuable contribution to the history of social sciences in Japan, especially the history of economics as a social science, and most of all as a demonstration of the salience of Marxism in economic thought on the left across decades from the late 1920s through the 1970s. . . . She writes invitingly and engagingly."-Andrew E. Barshay, University of California, Berkeley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 345 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (January 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520243471
• ISBN-13: 978-0520243477
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,502,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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