Dear List Members,

please allow me to bring the following recently published and very helpful publication, edited by Sven Saaler and Chris Szpilman, to your attention:

Book Announcement
Pan-Asianism: A Documentary History, Volume 1 & 2
Edited by Sven Saaler and Christopher W. A. Szpilman
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2011 Table of contents:
http://www.rowman.com/isbn/1442206020

This two-volume set provides the only comprehensive, Western-language history of Pan-Asianism through primary sources and commentaries. The book argues that Pan-Asianism, often-though unfairly-associated with the Yellow Peril, has been a powerful political and ideological force in modern Asia. It has shaped national identities and strongly influenced the development of international relations across Asia and the Pacific. Scholars have long recognized the importance of Pan-Asianism as an ideal of Asian solidarity, regional cooperation, and integration but also as an ideology that justified imperialist expansion and military aggression. Yet sustained research has been hampered by the difficulty of accessing primary sources.

This unique sourcebook remedies the problem thoroughly by providing a wealth of documents on Pan-Asianism from 1850 to the present, many translated for the first time from Asian languages. All sources are accompanied by expert commentaries that provide essential background information. Providing an essential overview of Pan-Asianism as it developed throughout modern Asia, this collection will be an indispensable tool for scholars in history, political science, international relations, and sociology. Its accessible presentation makes it a valuable resource for non-specialists as well.

Michael Burtscher
Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia
University of Tokyo