Parallax Visions: Making Sense of American-East Asian Relations

By Bruce Cumings

Book Overview

In a work that synthesizes crucial developments in international relations at the close of the twentieth century, Bruce Cumings--a leading historian of contemporary East Asia--provides a nuanced understanding of how the United States has loomed over the modern history and culture of East Asia. By offering correctives to widely held yet largely inaccurate assessments of the affairs of this region, Parallax Visions shows how relations between the United States, Japan, Vietnam, North and South Korea, China, and Taiwan have been structured by their perceptions and misperceptions of each other. Using information based on thirty years of research, Cumings offers a new perspective on a wide range of issues that originated with the cold war--with particular focus on the possibly inappropriate collaboration between universities, foundations, and intelligence agencies. Seeking to explode the presuppositions that Americans usually bring to the understanding of our relations with East Asia, the study ranges over much of the history of the twentieth century in East Asian-American relations--Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Korean War, and more recent difficulties in U.S. relations with China and Japan. Cumings also rebuts U.S. media coverage of North Korea's nuclear diplomacy in the 1990s and examines how experiences of colonialism and postcolonialism have had varying effects on economic development in each of these countries. Positing that the central defining experience of twentieth-century East Asia has been its entanglement first with British and Japanese imperialism, and then with the United States, Cumings ends with a discussion of how the situation could change over the next century as the economic and political global clout of the United States declines. Illuminating the sometimes self-deluded ideology of cold war America, Parallax Visions will engage historians, political scientists, and students and scholars of comparative politics and social theory, as well as readers interested in questions of modernity and the role of the United States in shaping the destinies of modernizing societies in Asia.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822329247
• ISBN13: 9780822329244
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Duke University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Structured by Observations and Misperceptions of Each Other

Arguing that the central defining experience of 20th century East Asia has been its entanglement first with British and Japanese imperialism, and then with the US, Cumings ends Parallax Visions with a discussion of how the situation could change over the next century as the economic and political global influence of the United States declines. In a work that fuses and simplifies critical developments in international relations at the end of the twentieth century, Cumings gives us nuanced explanations of how the US has come into view vis-à-vis modern history and culture in East Asia. By offering a new perspective as well as corrections to previously widely held yet largely inaccurate opinions of the goings on in this region, Parallax Visions shows how relations between the United States, Japan, Vietnam, North and South Korea, China, and Taiwan have been structured by their observations and misperceptions of each other. Using information based on thirty years of research, Cumings offers a new perspective on a wide range of issues that originated with the cold war. Cummings seeks to deconstruct the presuppositions that Americans traditionally bring to the understanding of our relations with East Asia including but not limited to Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Korean War, and more recent difficulties regarding US relations with China and Japan. Cumings also refutes US media coverage of North Korea's nuclear diplomacy in the 1990s and examines how experiences of colonialism and postcolonialism have had different impacts on economic development in each of these spaces. Bringing to presence the sometimes self-deluded ideology of cold war America, Parallax Visions engages in questions of modernity and the role of the US in (re)shaping the destinies of modernizing societies in Asia.

This book is mainstream

This book written by Bruce Cumings displays the intellectual capabilities of a true professor, the deep descriptions and accounts of East Asian relations are conceptually flawless. I can proudly say that my older brother Ian has this work of impecable art for bedtime reading. Forget Green Eggs and Ham and the Cat in the Hat, my 17 year old brother demands perfection in the field of asian history. Thank to you, my son has entered the field of history as the youngest professor at South-East Oklahoma State University.-Ezekiel Baragokus

A Change of Perspective can Change Policy?

The word "parallax" in this title is quickly explained: by changing your position the thing you are lloking at will also seem to change. In observing East Asia, there has been a tendency (at least prior to the april 2001 incident) you might think that American influence was declining as China and Japan are emerging as regional - global - powers. Cumings is not alarmed and believes that capitalist and democratic counties w111 continue to co-operate while and the move towards free trade and international will remain strong as more asian countries participate. As values are increasingly shared between Asia and America, it is misleading to stress the differences. America will remain the region's dominant power for a long time yet. The biggest threats to n Asia are misperceptions, exaggerated fears or imaginary "sunspots". One not so imaginary spot is Afghanistan and Central Asia. the near future will provide an ideal testing ground for Mr. Cumings theory.

Interesting new perspectives, but some problems

This book offers a lot of new ideas, and if half of them are true then it is worth reading. But some of the ideas put forth, like for instance trying to relate the cult of Kim Il Sung in post war Korea to the Japanese cult of the emperror when Korea was a colony are a bit of a stretch. Also, the author seems to know much more about Korea, he is okay with Japan, and biased about China, and undestimating its place in the world. It is definitely worth reading but read it critically.