Print and Power: Confucianism, Communism, and Buddhism in the Making of Modern Vietnam, by Shawn Frederick McHale, is now available in paperback.
“An essential starting point for what one hopes will be a fundamental reconsideration of the multiple and globally inflected ways in which the Vietnamese and other imperial subjects approached colonialism and modernity.” —American Historical Review
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3304-6 / $23.00 (PAPER)
Education is the point of departure for the cultivation of human culture in all of its different forms. Although there are many contested conceptions of what is meant by a good education, there are few people who would challenge the premise that education is a good thing in which we should heavily invest. In Educations and Their Purposes: A Conversation among Cultures, edited by Roger T. Ames and Peter D. Hershock, representatives of different cultures and with alternative conceptions of human realization explore themes at the intersection of a changing world, the values we would choose to promote and embody, and the ways in which we educate the next generation.
Published in association with the East-West Philosophers Conference
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3160-8 / $59.00 (CLOTH)
We Fought the Navy and Won: Guam’s Quest for Democracy, by Doloris Coulter Cogan, is a carefully documented yet impassioned recollection of Guam’s struggle to liberate itself from the absolutist rule of the U.S. Navy. Doloris Cogan concentrates on five crucial years, 1945–1950, when, fresh out of journalism school, she had the good fortune to join the distinguished team of idealists at the newly formed Institute of Ethnic Affairs in Washington, D.C. Working as a writer/editor on the monthly Guam Echo under the leadership of the Institute’s director, John Collier, Cogan witnessed and recorded the battle fought at the very top between Collier and Navy Secretary James V. Forrestal as the people of Guam petitioned the U.S. Congress for civilian government under a constitution. Taken up by newspapers throughout the country, this war of words illustrated how much freedom of the press plays in achieving and sustaining true democracy.
“Insightful and well done. We Fought the Navy and Won will be an important contribution to the literature.” —Dirk A. Ballendorf, University of Guam
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3216-2 / $24.00 (PAPER)
Japanese film crews were shooting feature-length movies in China nearly three decades before Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950) reputedly put Japan on the international film map. Although few would readily associate Japan’s film industry with either imperialism or the domination of world markets, the country’s film culture developed in lock step with its empire, which, at its peak in 1943, included territories from the Aleutians to Australia and from Midway Island to India. With each military victory, Japanese film culture’s sphere of influence expanded deeper into Asia, first clashing with and ultimately replacing Hollywood as the main source of news, education, and entertainment for millions. The Attractive Empire: Transnational Film Culture in Imperial Japan, by Michael Baskett, is the first comprehensive examination of the attitudes, ideals, and myths of Japanese imperialism as represented in its film culture.
“Because imperialism has had such an appalling ideological reputation, we’ve lost sight of its excitement, the breathless anticipation of adventures in far-off lands. The Attractive Empire is a tour de force of enthralling historical scholarship that puts the appeal, and seductions, of imperialism on display, without underestimating its ugly consequences. Like its chosen subject, the book covers an astonishing array of texts, events, people, and issues. The clarity and vividness of the writing make it work effortlessly. Baskett’s organizational skills, narrative, and rhetoric deftly orchestrate a complex subject.” —Darrell William Davis, University of New South Wales
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3163-9 / $48.00 (CLOTH)
The Flaming Womb: Repositioning Women in Early Modern Southeast Asia, by Barbara Watson Andaya
“The definitive volume on women in Southeast Asia history. . . . [Anadaya’s] book is encyclopedic in its inclusiveness yet it does not force a homogenizing or uniform interpretation upon the material. Instead, Andaya brings symphonic order to the cacophony of beliefs and practices. . . . The examples are detailed, specific, precise and attentive. This is the hallmark of her work. . . . Masterfully composed.” —Pacific Affairs
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3288-9 / $21.00 (PAPER)
Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a Century of Chinese Cinema, by Shuqin Cui
“Stands out for its ambition and breadth. . . . Women Through the Lens not only lays a foundation and road map for other scholars but it should be used as a reference book by anyone interested in Chinese film.” —Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3296-4 / $28.00 (PAPER)
Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice, by Ian Harris
“A fascinating book that contains a wealth of material that would require a series of reviews to discuss fully. It is a resource on Cambodia that adds enormously to the literature of Southeast Asian Buddhism. . . . It will become a pivotal work on the subject.” —Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3298-8 / $25.00 (PAPER)
The People of the Sea: Environment, Identity, and History in Oceania, by Paul D’Arcy
“This well-researched and beautifully written monograph opens a window in time and space. Its emphasis on the dynamics [of marine ecosystems] is convincing and serves to falsify the notion of a frozen ‘tradition’ as well as of a predictable maritime environment.” —Anthropological Quarterly
March 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3297-1 / $25.00 (PAPER)
Na Kua‘aina: Living Hawaiian Culture, by Davianna Pomaika‘i McGregor (professor of ethnic studies, University of Hawai‘i), recently received the Kenneth W. Baldridge Prize for best history book written by a Hawai‘i resident. The prize is awarded by the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.
Na Kua‘aina has also been selected as a finalist for the National Council on Public History Book Award. Winners will be announced at the NCPH Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 11, 2008.
News from University of Hawai‘i Press 
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