In the Shadow of the Mongol Empire: Ming China and Eurasia by David M. Robinson, and: Ming China and Its Allies: Imperial Rule in Eurasia by David M. Robinson (review)

Abstract

Published by the Harvard-Yenching Institute HJAS 81 (2021): 403–409 I have one small note regarding the editing: the inconsistent treatment of Japanese titles causes some inconvenience. For example, the title of Abe’s Moetsukita chizu is given only in English translation throughout chapter 2, while its Japanese title appears in an aside in chapter 4; these two titles are treated as an unrelated work in the index. The original title of Tsuchimoto’s film, the focus of chapter 1, appears only in a footnote. The lack of a bibliography compounds this problem. However, this inconsistency in citation is a minor distraction. Residual Futures is a richly rewarding study of impressive scope and erudition that combines subtle readings and deep historical contextualization. It joins a growing corpus of recent scholarship on Japan’s 1960s and 1970s, applying insights from those studies to our understanding of the city and expanding upon them. In the process, it opens up new directions for urban studies and Cold War studies in Japanese and global contexts.