Author: stephchun

Reflections on Vanishing Life in the Forests of Southeast Asia

Posted on by stephchun

The Nature and Culture of RattanRattan is the common name for a diverse group of climbing palms found throughout Old World tropical forests. For centuries people have used them for binding, basketry, house construction, food, and numerous other non-market purposes; more recently the canes of some species have been gathered for the multi-billion-dollar furniture, handicraft, and mat-making industries. Thus rattan continues to be vital to the culture and economic well being of millions of cane collectors, laborers, and artisans throughout tropical Asia and Africa. The Nature and Culture of Rattan: Reflections on Vanishing Life in the Forests of Southeast Asia, by Stephen F. Siebert, explores this valuable forest product, the tropical forests on which it depends, and the societies that flourish by using and managing these remarkable plants.

A website (http://www.cfc.umt.edu/rattan/) includes additional photographs, suggested reading, and discussion topics.

January 2012 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3536-1 / $44.00 (CLOTH)

The Okinawan Diaspora in Japan

Posted on by stephchun

The Okinawan DiasporaAlthough much has been written on Okinawan emigration abroad, The Okinawan Diaspora in Japan: Crossing the Borders Within, by Steve Rabson, is the first book in English to consider the topic in Japan. It is based on a wide variety of secondary and primary sources, including interviews conducted by the author in the greater Osaka area over a two-year period. The work begins with the experiences of women who worked in Osaka’s spinning factories in the early twentieth century, covers the years of the Pacific War and the prolonged U.S. military occupation of Okinawa, and finally treats the period following Okinawa’s reversion to Japan in 1972. Throughout, it examines the impact of government and corporate policies, along with popular attitudes, for a compelling account of the Okinawan diaspora in the context of contemporary Japan’s struggle to acknowledge its multiethnic society.

January 2012 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3534-7 / $55.00 (CLOTH)

Second Volume of Remembering Traditional Hanzi Now Available

Posted on by stephchun

Remembering Traditional Hanzi 2Remembering Traditional Hanzi 2, by James W. Heisig and Timothy W. Richardson, is the second of two volumes designed to help students learn the meaning and writing of the 3,000 most frequently used traditional Chinese characters. (A parallel set of volumes has been prepared for simplified characters.) The 1,500 characters introduced in Book 1 include the top 1,000 by frequency, plus another 500 best learned at an early stage. Book 2 adds the remaining 1,500 characters to complete the set.

January 2012 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3656-6 / $29.00 (PAPER)

Yoga, the Western Painting of Japan, 1912-1955

Posted on by stephchun

Maximum EmbodimentMaximum Embodiment: Yoga, the Western Painting of Japan, 1912–1955, by Bert Winther-Tamaki, presents a compelling thesis articulating the historical character of Yoga, literally the “Western painting” of Japan. The term designates what was arguably the most important movement in modern Japanese art from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Perhaps the most critical marker of Yoga was its association with the medium of oil-on-canvas, which differed greatly from the water-based pigments and inks of earlier Japanese painting. Yoga encompassed both establishment fine art and avant-gardist insurgencies, but in both cases, as the term suggests, it was typically focused on techniques, motifs, canons, or iconographies that were obtained in Europe and deployed by Japanese artists.

Balancing critique and sympathy for the twelve Yoga painters who are its principal protagonists, Maximum Embodiment investigates the quest for embodiment in some of the most compelling images of modern Japanese art.

January 2012 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3537-8 / $32.00 (CLOTH)

Forests and State Authority in Contemporary Laos

Posted on by stephchun

Natural PotencyForests, as physical entities, have received considerable scholarly attention in political studies of Asia and beyond. Much less notice has been paid to the significance of forests as symbols that enable commentary on identity, aspirations, and authority. Natural Potency and Political Power: Forests and State Authority in Contemporary Laos, by Sarinda Singh, is an innovative exploration of the social and political importance of forests in contemporary Laos. It challenges common views of the rural countryside as isolated and disconnected from national social debates and politics under an authoritarian regime. The work offers instead a novel understanding of local perspectives under authoritarianism, demonstrating that Lao people make implicit political statements in their commentary on forests and wildlife; and showing that, in addition to being vital material resources, forests (and their natural potency) are linked in the minds of many Lao to the social and political power of the state.

Southeast Asia: Politics, Meaning, & Memory
January 2012 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3571-2 / $45.00 (CLOTH)

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory around the Web

Posted on by stephchun

Hawaii's Mauna Loa ObservatoryWhile researching his latest book, Hawai‘i’s Mauna Loa Observatory: Fifty Years of Monitoring the Atmosphere, Forrest Mims spent hours searching for a small, unmarked beach near Hilo Bay. It was here in December 1840 that the U.S. Exploring Expedition began its long and difficult journey to the summit of Mauna Loa to make the first scientific measurements from atop the volcano. Read about the expedition in Mims’ weekly science column in the San Antonio Express-News: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Expedition-collected-data-on-Hawaiian-volcano-2517912.php.

For other interesting history tidbits from Mims’ book, check out this post from Raising Islands, written by veteran Hawai‘i science journalist Jan TenBruggencate: http://raisingislands.blogspot.com/2012/01/mauna-kea-in-kamehamehas-time-it-was.html.

Image and Cult in Medieval Japanese Buddhism

Posted on by stephchun

The Face of JizoStone images of the Buddhist deity Jizo—bedecked in a red cloth bib and presiding over offerings of flowers, coins, candles, and incense—are a familiar sight throughout Japan. Known in China as a savior from hell’s torment, Jizo in Japan came to be utterly transformed through fusion with the local tradition of kami worship and ancient fertility cults. In particular, the Jizo cult became associated with gods of borders or transitions: the stone gods known as dosojin. Although the study of Jizo is often relegated to the folkloric, The Face of Jizo: Image and Cult in Medieval Japanese Buddhism, a highly original and readable book by Hank Glassman, demonstrates that the bodhisattva’s cult was promoted and embraced at the most elite levels of society.

“By wrapping the Japanese images of the bodhisattva Jizō in their intriguing individual and collective stories, The Face of Jizō emphasizes the movement of this deity, who not only protects travellers but also treks between hell and paradise in his quest to save sentient beings. Professor Glassman has created a major contribution to studies of cult images that extends well beyond art historical analyses to delve into other fascinating areas of inquiry. The author’s thorough research, lively writing style, and deft exposition of exciting tales guide readers on a magnificent journey through the history, literature, performance, and visual culture related to Jizō in Japan from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century. From lavishly colored paintings and sculptures to simple stones, beloved images of Jizō are brought to life in the pages of this book.” —Sherry Fowler, University of Kansas

January 2012 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3581-1 / $25.00 (PAPER)

The Painted King Author Interviewed

Posted on by stephchun

Glenn Wharton, author of The Painted King: Art, Activism, and Authenticity in Hawaii, recently spoke about his book, queer conservation, and the complexities of community-based cultural engagement. The interview appeared online in both San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter and Chicago’s Windy City Times.

On Wharton’s attraction to Hawai‘i: I’ve always been attracted to Hawaiian culture, in part because of the falsetto singing, ukulele music, and storytelling through dance, but also because of the gentle nature of many Hawaiians that I’ve met over the years. As an island culture, everything moves more slowly. People in semi-rural areas like the one that surrounds the Kamehameha I sculpture embrace outsiders with warm aloha, but only after the outsider has proven that they have a genuine love for the culture and the land.

On the decision to restore the Kamehameha statue to its painted form: “As I got deeper into the community, I learned there were many voices, and they didn’t all agree on the sculpture’s meaning or how to go about conserving it. Indeed, some of my colleagues on the mainland did accuse me of ‘going native’ in that I was sharing professional authority with people who didn’t ‘understand art history,’ and that we should honor the original artist’s intention no matter what local residents think today. Maintaining the rather quirky tradition of painting the sculpture in life-like colors that’s evolved since its 1883 installation was going a bit too far for some of my colleagues.”

Choice Magazine’s Outstanding Academic Titles for 2011 Announced

Posted on by stephchun

Each year Choice Magazine, the official publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries, compiles a distinguished list of Outstanding Academic Titles. The following UH Press book was recognized for 2011. A complete list of titles will be available in Choice’s January 2012 issue.

Soldiers on the Cultural Front: Developments in the Early History of North Korean Literature and Literary Policy by Tatiana Gabroussenko

“[A] superbly researched, readable study. . . . Gabroussenko’s account of writers in the last ‘socialist paradise’ is invaluable, if tragic, reading. . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice (February 2011)

Sitting in Oblivion: The Heart of Daoist Meditation, by Livia Kohn and distributed by UH Press for Three Pines Press, was also recognized as a 2011 Outstanding Academic Title.

Press Author Interviews

Posted on by stephchun

Mark Panek, author of Big Happiness: The Life and Death of a Modern Hawaiian Warrior, will be interviewed by Willa Tanabe as the featured guest on the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s “Thinking Out Loud” radio show on Monday, December 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m. The show broadcasts live from the KZOO-AM 1210 studio at Shirokiya in Ala Moana Center and will be archived for later listening. More details about the radio program can be found here: http://jcch.com/thinking-out-loud.asp

Victoria Kneubuhl will be interviewed on Hawai‘i Public Radio’s weekday morning show, The Conversation, on Tuesday, December 20, 8-9 am. Listen live on KIPO FM89.3 and KIPM FM89.7.

Ms. Kneubuhl also talked in-depth about her work, including her latest mystery, Murder Leaves Its Mark, on the KZOO “Thinking Out Loud” program. Her November 28 interview can be heard here: http://www.kzoohawaii.com/jp/programs/tol.html

Cultures of Commemoration Now Available in Paperback

Posted on by stephchun

Cultures of Commemoration
Cultures of Commemoration: The Politics of War, Memory, and History in the Mariana Islands, by Keith L Camacho, is now available in paperback.

“There is no other work that examines the complex interplay and layering of colonialisms in the twentieth-century Marianas with such detail, sensitivity, and intelligence.”—Takashi Fujitani, University of California at San Diego

“Camacho‘s study shows us that the critique of indigenous memory is not only crucial to the field of memory studies but also provides a key framework through which the politics of memory will be rethought.” —Marita Sturken, New York University, author of Tourists of History: Memory, Kitsch, and Consumerism from Oklahoma City to Ground Zero

Pacific Islands Monograph Series #25
Published in association with the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai‘i
December 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3670-2 / $25.00 (PAPER)

MENU