Japan

Cold War Democracy: The United States and Japan

Date
Tue January 28th 2020, 4:30 - 6:00pm
Event Sponsor
Center for East Asian Studies, History Department
Location
East Asia (Lathrop) Library, Room 224, 518 Memorial Way
Cold War Democracy: The United States and Japan

Speaker: Jennifer Miler

About the talk:

Has American foreign policy been a reflection of a desire to promote democracy, or a simple product of hard-nosed geopolitics? In this talk, Jennifer Miller argues that democratic ideals were crucial, but not in the way most defenders claim. Focusing on the postwar occupation of Japan, she examines how the Cold War produced a new understanding of democracy as rooted in psychologies and mentalities. This vision motivated American efforts to democratize postwar Japan, yet also facilitated America’s rapprochement with the political and military leaders that once led Japan’s brutal war. 

This talk is free and open to the public. Please RSVP here.

About the speaker:

Jennifer M. Miller is an Assistant Professor of History at Dartmouth College.  She received her MA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her BA from Wesleyan University.  A scholar of U.S.-East Asian relations, she is the author of Cold War Democracy: The United States and Japan (Harvard University Press, 2019). Cold War Democracy was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2019.  Her other recent publications include “Let’s Not Be Laughed at Anymore: Donald Trump and Japan from the 1980s to the Present” (Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 2018) and “Fractured Alliance: Anti-Base Protests and Postwar U.S.-Japanese Relations” (Diplomatic History, 2014). (Image courtesy of Eli Burakian)

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