Description: Contemporary political and societal relations between China and Japan are poisoned by divergent historical memories. This book addresses this problem from novel outsider perspectives.
Review Quotes: "A remarkable book: elegantly written, cogently argued, expertly researched and fearless in its approach and arguments." -- Herman T. Salton, ICU University, Tokyo, Japan, International Affairs
"There are few conflicts that are more significant to international affairs than the Sino-Japanese dispute, and few that seem more intractable. In this noteworthy book, Buzan and Goh indicate how the friction should best be understood and show approaches through which it could be overcome. ÂIt is a book of resounding importance both for those who study international relations and those preoccupied with conflict resolution and reconciliation." -- O.A. Westad, Yale University"The nature of order in Asia is one of the most pressing questions of our era, but analysis too often lacks historical depth. Goh and Buzan's study is deeply impressive in its extraordinary historical detail as well as its willingness to show continuity and change over a longer period of time in Asia. For both IR scholars and historians, this is an essential read on an urgent issue." -- Rana Mitter, University of Oxford"Rethinking Sino-Japanese Alienation makes a major contribution to understanding great power relations in Northeast Asia. It advances the profound theoretical insight that constitutive shared understandings, shared socio-normative structures, are critical in international relations. Currently, Northeast Asian states see themselves as victims and other states in the region as hostiles based on rival historical interpretations. Relations thus remain antagonistic given the lack of shared views regarding the nature of the regional society. Buzan and Goh masterfully show how the socio-normative structure is currently contested, preventing more cordial interactions. They seek to break this impasse by elucidating alternative historical interpretations that might alter current biases." -- Hendrik Spruyt, Northwestern University"International Relations theory has drawn so much from European history that it often fails to explain the intricacies of power relations elsewhere. This bold and masterly study turns to a two-power relationship between China and Japan to help rethink the role of historical continuity and change in Northeast Asia that could shape a new regional and global order." -- Wang Gungwu, National University of Singapore