The politics and literature debate in postwar Japanese criticism: 1945-52

In the wake of its defeat in World War II, as Japan was forced to remake itself from 'empire' to 'nation' in the face of an uncertain global situation, literature and literary criticism emerged as highly contested sites.

Today, this remarkable period holds rich potential for opening new dialogue between scholars in Japan and North America as we rethink the historical and contemporary significance of a number of important issues, including the meaning of the American occupation both inside and outside of Japan, the shifting semiotics of 'literature' and 'politics' and the origins of crucial ideological weapons of the cultural Cold War.