Overview

While the loss of sight—whether in early modern Japan or now—may be understood as a disability, blind people in the Tokugawa period (1600–1868) could thrive because of disability. The blind of the era were prominent across a wide range of professions, and through a strong guild structure were able to exert contractual monopolies over certain trades. Blind in Early Modern Japan illustrates the breadth and depth of those occupations, the power and respect that accrued to the guild members, and the lasting legacy of the Tokugawa guilds into the current moment. The book illustrates why disability must be assessed within a particular society’s social, political, and medical context, and also the importance of bringing medical history into conversation with cultural history. A Euro-American-centric disability studies perspective that focuses on disability and oppression, the author contends, risks overlooking the unique situation in a non-Western society like Japan in which disability was constructed to enhance blind people’s power. He explores what it meant to be blind in Japan at that time, and what it says about current frameworks for understanding disability. 

Full Product Details

Author:   Wei Yu Wayne Tan
Publisher:   The University of Michigan Press
Imprint:   The University of Michigan Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.10cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 23.00cm
Weight:   0.249kg
ISBN:  

9780472075485

ISBN 10:   0472075489
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   30 September 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents List of Illustrations List of Tables Map of Japan in the Tokugawa (Edo) Period (1600–1868) Map of Japan: Modern Regions and Prefectures Abbreviated List of Historical Periods A Note on Japanese Terminology and Names Acknowledgments Preface: A Personal Note Introduction Chapter 1 Japanese Ophthalmology: Medical Studies of Eye Conditions Chapter 2 Eye Medicines: The Popular Culture of Cure Chapter 3 The Blind Guild: Status and Power Chapter 4 Non-Membership and the Challenge of Authority Chapter 5 Texts and Performances: The Significance of One Blind Musician’s Career Chapter 6 Healing by Touch: Blind Acupuncturists and Masseurs Epilogue Onward to the Meiji Period Bibliography Index

Reviews

"""...Tan's book is an excellent opening for the history of blindness in Japan during its early modern period. Its theoretical frameworks, the power of lineages, and the background of consumer culture are excellent jumping-off points for historians of Japanese disabilities and non-European scholars who might follow.""-- ""Isis (A Journal of the History of Science Society)"" ""A thoughtful, deeply researched contribution to disability studies.""-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" (11/7/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Highly recommended."" -- ""CHOICE"" ""The book is written in an engaging manner and is wonderfully illustrated with contemporary paintings, prints and photographs. . . . this is a book I will certainly revisit and recommend to anyone with an interest in the history of disability and Japanese society or the ways in which disability studies approaches have the potential to shed new light on experiences of disability beyond the global North and the present day.""-- ""LSE Review of Books"" (7/13/2023 12:00:00 AM) Winner of the 2023 Outstanding Book Award-- ""Disability History Association"" Winner of the 2023 Patricia Buckley Ebrey Prize in East Asian History prior to 1800-- ""American Historical Association"" ""Ably and admirably striding several disciplinary boundaries, Tan's book is an empirically rich and straightforward account of blindness during the Edo period. More than simply presenting Tokugawa Japan as a case study in the larger corpus of the history of disability, it encourages scholars to reconsider approaches to writing about blindness and visual impairment.""--Kerry Shannon, Social History of Medicine (7/18/2023 12:00:00 AM) ""The book will reward a variety of readers, from those looking to understand general aspects of how Tokugawa society functioned, to those seeking information on blindness and blind people in Japanese history, to those interested in non-Western histories and views on disability, and many more.""--Frank Mondelli, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences Winner of the Honorable Mention for the President's Book Award -- ""Social Science History Association"""

A thoughtful, deeply researched contribution to disability studies. --Kirkus Reviews-- Kirkus Reviews (11/7/2022 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

Wei Yu Wayne Tan is Assistant Professor of History at Hope College.

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