 | Okinawa and the U.S. Military: Identity Making in the Age of Globalization Subjects: Military bases American -- Japan -- Okinawa-ken -- Public opinion; Nationalism -- Japan -- Okinawa-ken; Okinawa-ken (Japan) -- Politics and government; Okinawa-ken (Japan) -- Social life and customs; Military offenses -- Japan -- Okinawa-ken; United Stat; In 1995, an Okinawan schoolgirl was brutally raped by several U.S. servicemen, triggering a chain of protests. Using this event as a point of reference, Inoue explores how Okinawans began to regard themselves less as a group of poor and oppressed people and more as a confident middle-class citizenry. However, the Japanese government has simultaneously pressured Okinawans to support a continued U.S. presence. Inoue deftly connects local social concerns with larger global strategies. Masamichi ("Marro") S. Inoue received his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Duke University and is assistant professor of the Japan Studies Program and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Kentucky. He has taught in the United States and Japan and has written extensively on the U.S. base problems in Okinawa in both English and Japanese. |
