The Community of Nuchi Du Takara ("Life Is the Ultimate Treasure") in Postwar Okinawa
Local Subjectivity within and against Empire
Explores the conflict between Okinawans and the post-WWII US-Japan military alliance through the concept of nuchi du takara
Description
Against the background of the prolonged US military presence in post–World War II Okinawa, The Community of Nuchi Du Takara (“Life Is the Ultimate Treasure”) in Postwar Okinawa explores the conflict between Okinawa and the US-Japan alliance. Developing the local notion of nuchi du takara into an analytical concept, Inoue examines how Okinawan activists, artists, writers, and other social actors have resisted US military presence, particularly the planned construction of a new military facility in northern Okinawa. The concept of nuchi du takara also helps Inoue explore complex negotiations Okinawa has had with Washington and Tokyo beyond resistance and protest, a process that involves developing a local communal capacity to embrace diverse and often contradictory attitudes toward the US military. Inoue’s grounded investigation underscores the possibility of small yet significant, incremental social changes from below, a possibility that ultimately points toward the World Republic—an international politics built upon peace, democracy, and shared affluence—against the sovereignty of global capitalism.
Masamichi (Marro) Inoue is Professor of Japan Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Kentucky.
Reviews
“An illuminating study that chronicles the tense politics of everyday life in Okinawa. Combining historical, anthropological, literary, and cultural studies analyses, Masamichi (Marro) Inoue deftly reveals the ‘multitude’ of social actors and their complex reactions to the extended presence of the US military across the Pacific.”
- Hiroshi Kitamura, William & Mary
“In a project that ranges from deeply personal ethnographic encounters to rigorous political and philosophical critique, Masamichi (Marro) Inoue grapples with the question of how Okinawans have lived their lives in and against the enormity of the Empire. Creative and provocative, he rejects expected histories, questions conventional categories, and challenges anticipated analyses.”
- Christopher Nelson, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill