The Western world has long been intrigued by the apparent exoticism and
uniqueness of Japanese civilization. Now, one of the world's leading
social theorists provides a monumental synthesis of Japanese history,
religion, culture, and social organization. Equipped with a dazzling
command of the literature, Eisenstadt explores the Japanese historical
legacy and its impact on the Japanese experience of modernity. Eschewing
the polemicism of structuralist or culturalist approaches, he expands
his investigative framework to include a keenly systematic, broadly
comparative analysis. What emerges is an innovative new approach,
focusing on the nonideological character of Japanese civilization as
well as its infinite capacity to recreate community through an ongoing
past.