"A major contribution to translation and adaptation studies as well as to our understanding of East Asian culture and literature"--

Literatures, Cultures, Translation presents a new line of books that engage central issues in translation studies such as history, politics, and gender in and of literary translation. This is a culturally situated study of the interface between three forms of transtextual rewriting: translation, adaptation and imitation. Two questions are raised: first, how a broader rubric can be formulated for the inclusion of the latter two forms within Translation Studies research, and second, how this enlarged definition of translation enables us to understand the incompatibilities between contemporary Western theories of translation and East Asian realities, past and present. Recent decades have seen a surge of scholarly interest in adaptations and imitations, due to the flourishing of cinema and fandom studies, and to the impact of a poststructuralist turn that sheds new light on derivative literature. Against this backdrop, a plethora of examples from the East Asian cultural sphere are analyzed to show how rewriters have freely appropriated, transcreated and recontextualized their source texts. In particular, Sino-Japanese case studies are contrasted with Sino-English ones, with both groups read against evolving traditions of thinking about free forms of translation, East and West.

Is liberal democracy appropriate for East Asia? In this provocative book, Daniel Bell argues for morally legitimate alternatives to Western-style liberal democracy in the region. Beyond Liberal Democracy, which continues the author's influential earlier work, is divided into three parts that correspond to the three main hallmarks of liberal democracy--human rights, democracy, and capitalism. These features have been modified substantially during their transmission to East Asian societies that have been shaped by nonliberal practices and values. Bell points to the dangers of implementing Western-style models and proposes alternative justifications and practices that may be more appropriate for East Asian societies. If human rights, democracy, and capitalism are to take root and produce beneficial outcomes in East Asia, Bell argues, they must be adjusted to contemporary East Asian political and economic realities and to the values of nonliberal East Asian political traditions such as Confucianism and Legalism. Local knowledge is therefore essential for realistic and morally informed contributions to debates on political reform in the region, as well as for mutual learning and enrichment of political theories. Beyond Liberal Democracy is indispensable reading for students and scholars of political theory, Asian studies, and human rights, as well as anyone concerned about China's political and economic future and how Western governments and organizations should engage with China.

As rapid economic development brings increasing uncertainty in East Asia, interest in a new version of republicanism, termed iscalled neo-Roman republicanism, is growing across the region. Conceptualized as liberty as non-domination, this new form of republicanism has inspired not only Western but also East Asian political theorists. However, neo-Roman republican ideas in Northeast Asian countries continue to face serious conceptual and political challenges, which scholarly literature on both republicanism and on East Asian politics has largely failed to confront. This book addresses these challenges by surveying the latest theoretical contributions to the studies of republicanism in Western countries and the latest interpretations of how republicanism, including both communitarian republicanism and neo-Roman republicanism, has been appropriated in countries in East Asia. In particular, it deals with the key question of whether liberty as non-domination can work in non-Western contexts where the fundamental tenets of liberal democracy, such as moral individualism and value pluralism, do not predominate. Across three sections, the chapters first provide a conceptual overview of republicanism as a global political theory, they then consider how republicanism has historically been received, resisted, and translated into East Asia., and Ffinally, they examine how historically informed possibilities fit with the emergent needs of contemporary Northeast Asian societies. Overall, the contributors show that republicanism is an always-ongoing project, whose terms must be interpreted and translated into the various communities they inform. Normative considerations about whether or how republicanism applies in East Asia cannot be divorced from historical and empirical approaches which consider the various ways in which republican ideals reflect the realities of life there. Dealing with the issue of republicanism from a new, comparative perspective, this book will have broad appeal to students and scholars of Asian studies, comparative political theory, political philosophy, sociology, and history.

Eastwards is a collection of essays each of whom focuses on a special aspect or on an episode within the cross-cultural narrative that imposes on our minds the terms «West» and «East». The volume assembles seventeen essays by eighteen authors divided into three chapters. Being the outcome of the first international conference for East Asian studies that was held in the Baltic states in 2008 at the University of Latvia in Riga, the volume contains not only contributions by scholars from Vilnius, Tallinn and Riga but also rather rare topics like critiques of translation from Japanese and Classical Chinese into Latvian. The book contains also an essay on the life and personality of an almost neglected Baltic «pioneer» in Manchuria.

Over the past few decades, East Asia developments in terms of production, population and trade have shown remarkable dynamics. Ensuing changes in these regions of non-Western civilization are commonly interpreted in terms of a successful adaptation of modernity. However, experiences such as the regional crisis in 1997 and the tragic incident of September 2001 more than ever ask for more intensive civilizational dialogues, and urge us to carefully consider the implications of capitalist development in the East Asian context(s). This book deals with the issues of Asian values, civilizational encounters between East and West, and the development of capitalism and its culture in East Asian countries. Its focus on inter-civilizational exchanges and the intricate interplays between civilizational and capitalist dynamics helps us to better understand our human story and history.

This book introduces the ‘Southern criminology’ movement; explores its theoretical, methodological, and philosophical tools; offers analytical accounts on the development of criminological thoughts in marginalised regions; and showcases the cutting edge of criminological research from Southern settings. Southernising Criminology is structured into three parts. The first part provides theoretical and methodological insights into how criminology can be Southernised, including renowned social scientists who share concerns for the need to reconceptualise the centre, the periphery, and their relations. The second part brings the reader up-to-date with the state of criminological research in different parts of the world and how far this landscape has changed when introducing Southern perspectives. The third part shows first-hand examples of how Southern criminology is done, with its challenges and transformative potential for criminological knowledge. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars working across the five continents and drawing on issues such as state criminality, violent crime, criminal justice practices, and state and non-state punishment, this book offers a critical account of the problems of metropolitan thinking, colonial and imperial power relations, and Western ethnocentric approaches to criminology. It offers a nuanced and grounded reflection on how things are being done differently and why that is important. An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, politics, and policy makers from around the world who are interested in the field of criminology and are aware of the urgent need for it to be decolonised and democratised.