Islands of Discontent

Examining contemporary Okinawan culture, politics, and historical memory, this book traces the dynamic reconstruction and reframing of Okinawan identity. The contributors explore the cultural and political expression that has flowered in the past decade with the vigorous growth of local museums and memorials and of the popularity of distinctive Okinawan music and literature, as well as of political movements targeting both U.S. military bases and Japanese national policy on ecological, developmental, and equity grounds. A key strategy has been the mobilization of historical memory, particularly recalling the violent subordination of Okinawan interests to those of the Japanese and American wartime and occupation governments. With its intertwining themes of memory, nationality, ethnicity, and cultural conflict in contemporary society, the book will be valuable reading for scholars and students across the social sciences and humanities.