UH Press

Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook Now Available in Paperback

Posted on August 3, 2011 by stephchun

Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook, edited by James W. Heisig, Thomas P. Kasulis, and John C. Maraldo, is now available in paperback.

From a July 2011 blog post: In 1980 Thomas Kasulis (then assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Hawai‘i) dreamed of putting together an anthology focused directly on Japanese philosophical thought. Thirty-one years later, Kasulis and fellow editors James Heisig and John Maraldo have produced what will be an essential reference for English readers interested in traditional or contemporary Japanese culture and the way it has shaped and been shaped by its great thinkers over the centuries. The story behind the Sourcebook’s development, which involved dozens of scholars from around the world, can be found in the Nanzan Institute for Religion & Culture Bulletin 35 (2011).

August 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3618-4 / $35.00 (PAPER)

Journal of World History, vol. 22, no. 2 (2011)

Posted on August 3, 2011 by alphabex

ARTICLES

Pirates and Kings: Power on the Shores of Early Modern Madagascar and the Indian Ocean
Jane Hooper, 215

This article describes the ways elites in Madagascar benefited from interactions with European and American pirates during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Malagasy leaders expanded their knowledge of global patterns of exchange and used this knowledge to monopolize trade from the island. At the time, the identification and suppression of pirates became a conflict between trade systems in and around the island. The states formed by Malagasy elites challenged British and French influence in the southwestern Indian Ocean and came under attack during the nineteenth century, a period of expanding European power in the region. Continue reading “Journal of World History, vol. 22, no. 2 (2011)”

Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii Back in Print

Posted on July 28, 2011 by stephchun

Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i, by Warren L. Wagner, Derral R.Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer, is available once again. The reprinting of the 2-volume revised edition, “the most significant botanical publication on Pacific plants in recent decades” (Flora Vitiensis Nova), was made possible by funding from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of National History Publication Fund and Walcott Botanical Fund.

Praise for the first edition:
“The most complete and beautifully presented manual that this reviewer has ever seen. It will be an indispensable tool for serious students of the flora of Hawaii.” —Choice

“A very important tool for years to come for botanists studying the floristic and biogeographic questions involving these islands. The authors of this two volume set are to be commended on the production of a significant contribution to the understanding of an extremely interesting flora.” —Phytologia

Pacific Science, vol. 65, no. 3 (2011)

Posted on July 27, 2011 by alphabex

Ant-Plant Mutualism in Hawai‘i? Invasive Ants Reduce Flower Parasitism but Also Exploit Floral Nectar of the Endemic Shrub Vaccinium reticulatum (Ericaceae)
Richard Bleil, Nico Blüthgen, and Robert R. Junker, 291

Ants had been absent from the Hawaiian Islands before their human introduction. Today they cause severe alterations of ecosystems and displace native biota. Due to their strong demand on carbohydrate-rich resources, they often exploit floral nectar of native Hawaiian plant species with largely unknown consequences for the plants’ reproduction. Continue reading “Pacific Science, vol. 65, no. 3 (2011)”

Literature and Resurgence in Okinawa

Posted on July 26, 2011 by stephchun

Throughout its difficult history, Okinawa has remained strong, and today its spirit is more vibrant and dynamic than ever. Celebrating the cultural resurgence that began in the 1960s, Living Spirit: Literature and Resurgence in Okinawa, edited by Frank Stewart and Katsunori Yamazato, presents acclaimed contemporary fiction and poetry, as well as drama, song, and essay. Also included are Higa Yasuo’s remarkable photographs capturing the timeless world of the islands’ maternal deities.

Manoa 23:1
July 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3617-7 / $20.00 (PAPER)

Conservation of Pacific Sea Turtles

Posted on July 25, 2011 by stephchun

Historically efforts to conserve Pacific sea turtles have focused on nesting sites to protect eggs and breeding females; mortality from coastal and highseas fisheries was not addressed. In the past five years, recovery has widened to include rigorously curtailing fishing and technological fixes that lower rates of incidental sea turtle deaths during fishing. Although each of these approaches shows promise, it has become increasingly clear that they alone will not recover severely depleted populations. Recognizing the urgency of the problem, Conservation of Pacific Sea Turtles, edited by Peter Dutton, Dale Squires, and Mahfuzuddin Ahmed, presents ideas and case studies by conservation biologists, economists, marine life policy experts, fishing industry and fisheries professionals, management specialists, and development assistance researchers.

July 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3407-4 / $55.00 (CLOTH)

Philosophy East and West, vol. 61, no. 3 (2011)

Posted on July 25, 2011 by alphabex

REMEMBERING DR. KENNETH K. INADA

Dr. Kenneth K. Inada (1923–2011), 407

A Memorial Tribute to Kenneth K. Inada
Eliot Deutsch, 408

ARTICLES

Abstract Concept Formation in Archaic Chinese Script Forms: Some Humboldtian Perspectives
Tze-wan Kwan, 409

Starting from the Humboldtian characterization of Chinese writing as a “script of thoughts,” this article makes an attempt to show that notwithstanding the important role played by phonetic elements, the Chinese script also relies on visual-graphical means in its constitution of meaning. In point of structure, Chinese characters are made up predominantly of components that are sensible or even tangible in nature. Out of these sensible components, not only physical objects or empirical states of affairs can be expressed, but also the most subtle and abstract concepts, such as 萬, 它, 言, 災, 仁, 義, 思, 念, 法, 律, 善, 考, 莫, 睘, and 幾, attesting to what Humboldt says about the Chinese script as having “embraced philosophical work within itself.” Humboldt’s idea of “analogy of script” throws light on the mechanism behind this structure to stimulate new reflections on the traditional theory of the “Six Ways” (六書) of character formation to provide a productive platform for interpretation.
Continue reading “Philosophy East and West, vol. 61, no. 3 (2011)”

Writing from These Roots Now Available in Paperback

Posted on July 20, 2011 by stephchun

Writing from These Roots: Literacy in a Hmong-American Community is the winner of the 2009 Outstanding Book Award from the Conference on College Composition and Communication.

“Writing from These Roots richly conceptualizes the study of literacy by considering its historical, personal, institutional, cultural, and transnational dimensions. . . . [It is a] fascinating account that takes [readers] across continents, across decades of recent history. The dimensions of literacy that [are brought] forward in [this] volume are beneath the surface of all our students’ literate acts and ought to be the subject of our study and our pedagogy.” —Conference on College Composition and Communication Award Committee

July 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3615-3 / $21.00 (PAPER)

American Aloha Now Available in Paperback

Posted on July 20, 2011 by stephchun

“Until now our only look at folk festivals has been through the eyes of visitors or through the insider eyes of folklorists and others who practice ‘public folklore and folklife’ as they have worked on such festivals. Diamond’s fine book places the reader between those two poles of naïve appreciation and heavily-invested, insider commentary.” —The Yearbook for Traditional Music

“A critical, multi-vocal case study that explores tradition, representation, cultural commodification, identity, tourism, sovereignty, and nationalism through the processes and outcomes of culture brokering for public consumption. . . . American Aloha will interest a broad readership interested in Hawaiian culture and history, museums, representation, tourism, and the construction of nationalism. Diamond’s skill at weaving theoretical themes with detailed data and anecdotes makes the book read like a collection of personal memories and characters with whom the reader can identify.” —The Contemporary Pacific

July 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3616-0 / $21.00 (PAPER)

Vietnamese American Literature in English

Posted on July 20, 2011 by stephchun

Twentieth-century America reduced Vietnam to “’Nam”: the surreal site of a military nightmare. The early twenty-first century has seen the revision of this image to recognize the people and culture of Vietnam itself. Vietnamese Americans, both immigrants and the American children of immigrants, have participated in changing this perception, consistently presenting their side of the story in memoirs published since the 1960s. My Viet: Vietnamese American Literature in English, 1962-Present, edited by Michele Janette, is the first anthology to provide a comprehensive overview of these memoirs and the historical picture they offer and to include Vietnamese writing that goes beyond memoir, revealing a new generation of Vietnamese American poetry, fiction, and drama.

“This book brings together, for the first time ever, work that showcases the depth and breadth of Vietnamese diaspora writers in English. It provides a very valuable resource for teaching, as well as for study, and makes a major contribution to the fields of American literature, Asian American literature, Viet Nam war studies, ethnic studies and Southeast Asian area studies.” —Renny Christopher, California State University

July 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3550-7 / $25.00 (PAPER)

New in the Dimensions of Asian Spirituality Series

Posted on July 20, 2011 by stephchun

Sikhism offers a comprehensive overview of the religion, which originated in India’s Punjab region five hundred years ago. As the numbers of Sikhs settling outside of India continues to grow, it is necessary to examine this religion both in its Indian context and as an increasingly global tradition. While acknowledging the centrality of history and text in understanding the main tenets of Sikhism, Doris Jakobsh highlights the religion’s origins and development as a living spiritual tradition in communities around the world. She pays careful attention to particular events, movements, and individuals that have contributed to important changes within the tradition and challenges stereotypical notions of Sikh homogeneity and stasis, addressing the plurality of identities within the Sikh tradition, both historically and within the contemporary milieu.

Dimensions of Asian Spirituality
July 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3601-6 / $17.00 (PAPER)

Gender and Identity in Liao and Jin China

Posted on July 20, 2011 by stephchun

China’s historical women warriors hailed from the northeast (Manchuria) during the Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234) dynasties. Celebrated in the Liao History, they were “unprecedented.” They rode horseback astride, were good at hunting and shooting, and took part in military battles. Several empresses—and one famous bandit chief—led armies against the enemy Song state. Women of the Conquest Dynasties: Gender and Identity in Liao and Jin China, by Linda Cooke Johnson, represents a groundbreaking effort to survey the customs and lives of these women from the Kitan and Jurchen tribes who maintained their native traditions of horsemanship, militancy, and sexual independence while excelling in writing poetry and prose and earning praise for their Buddhist piety and Confucian ethics. Although much work has been devoted in the last few years to Chinese women of various periods, this is the first volume to incorporate recent archaeological discoveries and information drawn from Liao and Jin paintings as well as literary sources and standard historical accounts.