Photographic Encounters in Postwar Japan, 1945-1955

This monograph examines photographs that Japanese and Americans took of Japan and each other amidst the social, political, economic, and cultural upheaval of the postwar period. Emily E. Cole argues that photography created a dynamic cultural and visual space where photographers interacted and used the camera as a tool of community and creation, representation and resistance, and control and influence on shaping Japan's postwar narrative. Particular focus is placed on amateur photography in comparison to professional photography and how individuals employ the camera as a powerful tool for community building against dominant narratives promulgated by authorities.

Emily E. Cole is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas at Tyler.

Introduction: As the Dust Settled Chapter 1: Structures of Seeing in War and Occupation Chapter 2: The Meeting Space of Magazines Chapter 3: Sunday Photographers Chapter 4: Imag(in)ing the Cultural Nation Chapter 5: Encoding Difference Chapter 6: Landscape with Life Chapter 7: Mediating Occupation Authority Epilogue: The Subjective Turn