Images of Japan from orientalism to cosmopolitanism: a critical review of Nihonjinron

Abstract

Departing from a genealogy of Western knowledge about Japan from the modern period to the present day, this article focuses on the analysis of the so-called “discourse of Japanese uniqueness” (Nihonjinron), emphasizing its role in the construction of images of Japan in the West and its impact in Japanese society, based on a bibliographic review centered on the area of Japanese Studies and the Social Sciences. In this process, we will trace the development of Nihonjinron from European Orientalism, rooted in the process of colonization and imperialism, to Japanese cultural nationalism of the postwar period, and its criticism in the context of the development of post-colonial studies from the mid-1980s. Finally, we will point to new directions that focus on a multicultural and cosmopolitan approach in the study of Japan.