Narratives Of Agency: Self-making In China, India, And Japan Project Muse Upcc Books

This multidisciplinary collection underlines the importance of understanding the operations of human agency-defined here as the ability to exert power, specifically in resistance to ideological pressure. In particular, the contributors emphasize the historical and cultural conditions that facilitate the production of agency in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of China, India, and Japan. In Narratives of Agency, scholars from a variety of disciplines argue that traditional Western approaches to the study of these cultures have unduly focused on the pervasive influence of. This multidisciplinary collection underlines the importance of understanding the operations of human agency - defined here as the ability to exert power, specifically in resistance to ideological pressure. In particular, the contributors emphasize the historical and cultural conditions that facilitate the production of agency in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of China, India, and Japan. The contributors argue that traditional Western approaches to the study of these cultures have unduly focused on the pervasive influence of family and clan (China), caste and fatalism (India), and groupism (Japan), reminding us that members of a community have to make personal choices, struggle and interact with others, and confront new challenges, all of which involve intentionality and human agency. Underlining the importance of understanding the operations of human agency, this work emphasizes the cultural and historical conditions that facilitate the production of agency in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of China, Japan and India. Wimal Dissanayake, Editor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.