Authors:
- Introduces an English-speaking audience to one of the most important figures in the intellectual history of modern Japan
- Discusses Fukuzawa's impact on political theory and modern Japanese history
- Emphasizes bourgeois liberalism as a necessary condition for modernization
Part of the book series: Critical Political Theory and Radical Practice (CPTRP)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Bourgeois Liberalism introduces readers to the East Asian Enlightenment led by Fukuzawa Yukichi, one of the most important figures in the intellectual history of modern Japan. Despite his impact on political theory and modern Japanese history, Fukuzawa remains under-researched in Western academia, and while a few English-language books have been written about Fukuzawa, none have dealt with his political theory. This book describes Fukuzawa as a character with universal relevance and a unique view of the Enlightenment tradition. Emphasizing the power of bourgeois liberalism and the debate regarding its potential for transforming the strict class-caste society of Tokugawa Japan, Hwang discusses Fukuzawa's belief in the significance of individual autonomy, progress, and liberal rule of law in developing his project of the East Asian enlightenment, as well as his supposed “betrayal” of his early commitments due to his existential desire for Western recognition of Japan’s greatness. The book ends with an analysis of the complex relation between liberalism and progress in the East Asian context.
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Authors and Affiliations
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Department of Political Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA
Minhyuk Hwang
About the author
Minhyuk Hwang is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University, USA.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Bourgeois Liberalism
Book Subtitle: The Betrayal of the East Asian Enlightenment
Authors: Minhyuk Hwang
Series Title: Critical Political Theory and Radical Practice
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21530-9
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-21529-3Published: 01 August 2019
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-21532-3Published: 14 August 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-21530-9Published: 23 July 2019
Series ISSN: 2731-6580
Series E-ISSN: 2731-6599
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: X, 176
Topics: Political Theory, Asian Politics, History of Japan, Political History