Primitive Selves: Koreana in the Japanese Colonial Gaze, 1910-1945

This Remarkable Book examines the complex history of Japanese colonial and postcolonial interactions with Korea, particularly in matters of cultural policy. E. Taylor Atkins focuses on past and present Japanese fascination with Korean culture as he reassesses colonial anthropology, heritage curation, cultural policy, and Korean performance art in Japanese mass media culture.

"Deeply researched and elegantly written, Primitive Selves reaches beyond the confines of the colonial era to the present Japanese preoccupation with Korea. This is an absolute must-read for students and scholars of East Asia." Sabine Fruhstuck, author of Uneasy Warriors: Gender, Memory, and Popular Culture in the Japanese Army

"A gem to be consulted by all students of anthropology, history, ethnomusicology, and colonial studies." Hyung Il Pal, author of Constructing "Korean" Origins: A Critical Review of Archaeology, Historiography, and Racial Myth in Korean State Formation Theories

"The hallmark of Atkins's scholarship is his ability to take something seemingly marginal---here Koreana---and use it as a lens to explore cultural practices, national sensibilities, and modern ideologies. This book uncovers the anxieties about authenticity that underlie the Japanese fixation with Korean culture across the twentieth century." Louise Young, author of Japan's Total Empire: Manchuria and the Culture of Wartime Imperialism

E. Taylor Atkins is Professor of History at Northern Illinois University and the author of Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan.