Joy Hendry

Heung Wah Wong

It has been customary in the appraisal of the different approaches to the study of Japan anthropology to invoke an East-West dichotomy positing hegemonic ‘Western’ systems of thought against a more authentic ‘Eastern’ alternative. Top scholars in the field of Japan anthropology examine, challenge and attempt to move beyond the notion of an East-West divide in the study of Japan anthropology. They discuss specific fieldwork and ethnographic issues, the place of the person within the context of the dichotomy, and regional perspectives on the issue. Articulating the influence of the East-West divide in other disciplines, including museum studies, religion, business and social ecology, the book attempts to look towards a new anthropology that transcends the limitations of a simplistic East-West opposition, taking into account the wealth of regional and global perspectives that are exhibited by contemporary scholarship on Japan anthropology. In concluding if the progress achieved in anthropological work on Japan can provide a model for good practice beyond this regional specialization, this timely and important book provides a valuable examination of the current state of the academic study of Japan anthropology.

Essays in Honour of Jan van Bremen

Dismantling the East-West Dichotomy

Samuel C. H. Wong

This book investigates the histories of television dramas, Hong Kong society, and their interrelationship. Rather than providing concrete interpretation of cultural content, this book adopts a novel methodology, laying out the motivations, means, and forces of production, distribution, and consumption of cultural creativity in Hong Kong. In so doing, the co-authors show how we might develop a new perspective on the unique history of Hong Kong and the special role its creative industries have played in it.

Heung Wah Wong

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