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A COMPANION TO THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF JAPAN. Edited by Jennifer Robertson. Maiden (Massachusetts), Oxford (UK), Victoria (Australia): BlackwellPublishing. 2005. xxiii, 518pp. (Tables.) US$124.95, doth. ISBN 0-631-22955-8.
A Companion to the Anthropology of Japan is a unique compilation that provides a broad survey of certain elements within the field of Japan studies as well as the latest findings in particular specialties. While the majority of the essays are from cultural anthropologists, there are also contributions from scholars in sociology, film studies, religious studies and history. Focusing mostly on questions of contemporary Japanese identity, history and socialization, the Companion is a groundbreaking collection that will find itself a ready home among those who are interested in postwar Japanese society.
Each of the 28 chapters of this 500-page collection was assigned to a leading or emerging researcher in that area. The editor organized the papers under five broad rubrics: 1 ) cultures, histories and identities; 2) geographies and boundaries, spaces...