Knowledge Production in Cold War Asia
US Hegemony and Local Agency
Shin Kawashima editor Yuka Tsuchiya Moriguchi editor Somei Kobayashi editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Indiana University Press
Publishing:1st Apr '25
£39.00
This title is due to be published on 1st April, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
From the end of the Second World War to the early 1970s, new paradigms began to form in academic, scientific, and professional knowledge in various disciplines and fields—not only in the United States, but also in East Asia.
Drawing on a wealth of archival documents from East Asia, Knowledge Production in Cold War Asia focuses on the building and rebuilding of these different forms of knowledge in or about East Asia during the first half of the Cold War. It explores how this newly constructed knowledge came to assume certain "norms" professionals and bureaucrats of these countries tried to comply with and sometimes wrestled with. The essays within this collection explore a wide variety of this knowledge production: state-centered promotions of construction and normalization of knowledge; the ways in which non-state actors were involved in the construction and normalization of knowledge; and how individuals and groups who resisted or protested the hegemonic knowledge were constructed by state or non-state actors.
A distinctive look at the Cold War through the research and perspectives of scholars from East Asia, Knowledge Production in Cold War Asia insightfully highlights the role of knowledge production, normalization, and resistance in the Cold War era, contributing to a fuller understanding of international relations.
"This book lends a fascinating view into the competition for scientific and professional authority that erupted as Cold War battle lines were drawn across Asia. Expertise symbolized legitimacy, progress, and a universal reason that could transcend ideological divides. In compelling detail, the authors reveal an unpredictable time when knowledge itself was up for grabs: who could claim and control it, where it could be exported, and what institutions would house it. An outstanding contribution to the intellectual history of twentieth-century Asia."—Nick Cullather, author of Illusions of Influence: The Political Economy of United States-Philippines Relations, 1942-1960
"This book offers English readers deeper insight into the wide-ranging layers of how the US finessed selling its knowhow and infrastructure education to Asia. Conversely, the reception these programs received in East Asia as aid or propaganda is analyzed in equal measure. The result offers a holistic view on the unequal balances of power through knowledge during the Cold War."—Barak Kushner, author of The Geography of Injustice: East Asia's Battle between Memory and History
"This is an extremely valuable contribution to filling the intellectual vacuum of the Cultural Cold War. The immensely informative and well-researched chapters in this work illuminate how academic and professional knowledge was generated in post-WWII East Asia, leading us to reevaluate the nature of the Cold War in the region."—Hsiao-ting Lin, author of Taiwan, the United States, and the Hidden History of the Cold War in Asia: Divided Allies
"The essays in Knowledge Production in Cold War Asia offer a comprehensive and essential exploration of the knowledge exchange between the US and East Asia during the Cold War. The book highlights East Asia's pivotal role in reshaping global intellectual landscapes—not merely as a recipient but as a dynamic producer of Cold War knowledge through adaptation, resistance, and innovation."—Ran Zwigenberg, author of Hiroshima: The Origins of Global Memory Culture
ISBN: 9780253072061
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
348 pages