Geographies of Identity in Nineteenth-Century Japan

David L. Howell is Professor of East Asian Studies and History at Princeton University. He is the author of Capitalism from Within: Economy, Society, and the State in a Japanese Fishery (California, 1995).

"One of the most important contributions of this book is its compelling portrait of the various itinerants within, and often without, early-modern Japan's status system. Even though the topic is a rather serious one, Howell reveals a refreshing sense of humor and an original approach. This is a pleasure to read." - Brett L. Walker, author of The Conquest of Ainu Lands "David Howell's immersion in contemporary Japanese scholarship is evident on every page of this masterful book. A probing work of great erudition." - Karen Wigen, author of The Making of a Japanese Periphery"

• Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. The Geography of Status 3. Status and the Politics of the Quotidian 4. Violence and the Abolition of Outcaste Status 5. Ainu Identity and the Early Modern State 6. The Geography of Civilization 7. Civilization and Enlightenment 8. Ainu Identity and the Meiji State Epilogue Modernity and Ethnicity Notes Works Cited Index