Books by Gerald Figal

Monsters, ghosts, the supernatural, the fantastic, the mysterious. This title asserts that discourse on the fantastic was at the heart of the historical configuration of Japanese modernity - that the representation of the magical and mysterious played an integral part in the production of modernity beginning in Meiji Japan (1868-1912).

This compelling book explores Okinawa's makeover as a tourist mecca among the physical ruins of the Pacific War's most devastating land battle. Gerald Figal considers how a place burdened by a history of semi-colonialism, memories of war and occupation, economic hardship, and contentious politics has reshaped itself into a resort destination.