The debate about Japan's 'uniqueness' is central to Japanese studies. This book aims to illuminate that debate from a comparative and theoretical perspective. It also tests theories of ethnicity and cultural nationalism through the use of Japan as a case study. Yoshino examines how ideas of national distinctiveness are 'produced' and 'consumed' in Japanese society through a study of intellectuals, teachers and businessmen. He finds that ideas of Japanese uniqueness, the nihonjinron, have been embraced more by those in business than in education. He looks at the Japanese perception of their own 'uniqueness' and at the ways in which ideas of cultural distinctiveness are formulated in different national and historical contexts. This extremely readable book combines anthropology and sociology to present both a historical analysis of the roots of the Japanese sense of national identity and a discussion of the ways in which that sense is changing.
Table of Contents:
Entering the World of Disgust. The Body and Mind of Disgust. Nature and Its Excesses. Varieties of Disgust. Disgust Syndromes. Sex, Procreation, and Human Intimacy. Disgust Within Family Groups. The Artistically or Scientifically Creative Individual and Freedom from Disgust. Group Identities and Hostility Across Borders: Affairs of Ethnicities, Classes, and Sects. Disgust and Horror . Concepts of Disease and Health. Final Comments.
About the Author :
A graduate of the University of Michigan doctoral program in clinical psychology, Susan B. Miller, Ph.D., is the author of The Shame Experience and Shame in Context, both published by The Analytic Press. Her first novel, Indigo Rosemartin, was published by Bantam/Dell in December 2004. Dr. Miller lives and practices in Ann Arbor, MI.
Review :
“In a volume destined to become a landmark publication, Susan Miller has once again mined a topic that, to our detriment, has been neglected in psychoanalytic circles. Disgust: The Gatekeeper Emotion is a tour de force, filled with fascinating clinical material, laced with nuggets from poetry and literature, and augmented with a wealth of knowledge of psychoanalytic theory. How has Miller managed to write about such an apparently unsavory topic in such an absorbing, luscious, clinically compelling way? This remarkable achievement will be considered essential reading for practitioners and students alike for years to come.”
- Kathryn J. Zerbe, M.D., Director of Psychiatric Outpatient Services, Oregon Health & Science University
"What Susan Miller previously achieved in her authoritative discourse on shame pertains equally to her rich, wide-ranging consideration of disgust. She brings to our attention the significance of this 'distasteful' affect and gives it the stature of a major negative emotion, a companion of shame, terror, and humiliation. Disgust is a response to something foreign, someone or something outside the self; the Other is bad and must be distanced. Miller illustrates her points with useful clinical examples and evocative historical and cultural precedents. This beautifully written volume adds greatly to the clinician's depth of understanding and range of interventions."
- Andrew Morrison, M.D., Author, Shame: The Underside of Narcissism (Analytic Press, 1989)
