This study examines Okinawa's relationship with the Japanese nation-state from 1879 to 2000 through the lens of cultural heritage. It also analyzes how the Japanese state and American occupation authorities have used heritage to govern Okinawa, and how Okinawans use it to negotiate, resist, and contest Japanese and American impositions of power.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Of Ruptures and Returns: Okinawa in the Japanese national imaginary
Chapter 2: Saving Shuri Castle: It¿ Ch¿ta and the discovery of Okinawa's cultural heritage
Chapter 3: Remembering Okinawa Shrine
Chapter 4: Defining Cultural Heritage: the Mingei movement in Okinawa
Chapter 5: Returns and Repetitions: the uses of Okinawa's cultural heritage in the postwar period
Conclusion