Language, Nation, Race: Linguistic Reform in Meiji Japan, 1868-1912

In her new book, Ueda explores the linguistic reforms of Japan around the turn of the 20th century, where Meiji leaders sought to rapidly educate a largely illiterate population as part of wider reforms to stave off the threat of Western colonialism. Language, Nation, Race (UC Press) not only paints a full critical picture of the historical record, but also draws out implications on the topics of language, national unity, and racial politics that are exceedingly relevant even today.