Appearing for the first time in English, the writings in this collection reflect some of the most innovative and influential work by Japanese intellectuals in recent years. The volume offers a rare and much-needed window into the crucial ideas and positions currently shaping Japanese thought ( shiso). In addressing the political, historical, and cultural issues that have dominated Japanese society, these essays cross a range of disciplines, including literary theory, philosophy, history, gender studies, and cultural studies. Contributors examine Japan's imperialist and nationalist past as well as representations and remembrances of this history. They also critique recent efforts in Japanese right-wing circles to erase or obscure the more troubling aspects of Japan's colonial enterprise in East Asia. Other essays explore how Japan has viewed itself in regard to the West and the complex influence of Western thought on Japanese intellectual and political life. The volume's groundbreaking essays on issues of gender and the contested place of feminist thought in Japan discuss the similarities between the emotional bullying of women who do not accept traditional gender roles and teasing in schools; how the Japanese have adopted elements of Western orientalism to discredit feminism; and historical constructions of Japanese motherhood.

丸山真男（1914-1996）日本著名的政治思想史学者。1950年至1971年任东京大学法学部教授；并获得美国哈佛大学、普林斯顿大学分别授予的名誉法学博士和名誉文学博士称号；1974年成为东京大学名誉教授。

其重要著作有：《日本政治思想史研究》（1952年）、《现代政治的思想与行动》（1956年-1957年）、《日本的思想》（1961年）。《战中与战后之间》（1976年）、《从后卫的位置出发》（1982年）、《读（文明论概略）》（1986年），《忠诚与叛逆——转型期日本的精神状态》（11992年）、《丸山真男集》（全16卷、别卷1，1995-1997年），《丸山真男座谈》（全9卷，1956年起出版）以及《丸山真男讲义录》（7卷。1998年）。