Race, Resistance and the Ainu of Japan (Sheffield Centre for Japanese Studies Routledge Series)

Once thought of as a 'vanishing people', the Ainu are now reasserting both their culture and their claims to be the 'indigenous' people of Japan. Race, Resistance and the Ainu of Japan is the first major study to trace the outlines of Ainu history. It explores the ways in which competing versions of Ainu identity have been constructed and articulated, shedding light on the way modern relations between the Ainu and the Japanese have been shaped. The Ainu were once thought of as a "vanishing people", dispossessed and marginalized during the colonization of their homeland. However, these indigenous people of Northern Japan are now reasserting both their culture and their claim to be the most ancient of the Japanese races.

Race, Resistance and the Ainu of Japan brings the story of the Ainu up to date. As the first major study in English to trace the outlines of Ainu history, the work addresses such topical concerns as the human and land rights of indigenous people. It explores the ways in which competing versions of Ainu identity have been constructed and articulated. Shedding light on the way modern relations between the Ainu and the Japanese have been shaped, the text highlights the relevance of "race" in modern Japan.

This is the first major study to trace development of the Ainu, the 'indigenous' people of Northern Japan, and to explore the ways in which their identities have been constructed.