Violent Democracy: Ruffians in Modern Japanese Politics:
This lecture focuses on the soshi who emerged on Japan's political stage in the early 1880s as political activists who championed the causes of freedom and people's rights. But by the end of the decade, they were less liberal and more professional, "yakuza-like' ruffians as who wanted to make some money by wielding violence for those who sought to influence state policy. The talk will explore both the process political violence as well as the vitality of democracy in Japan.
Location: FEAS Seminar Room (Mary Houghton Freeman Room)
Admission: This event is free and open to the public.
Sponsor: Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies
URL:"> Contact: Shirley Lawrence, Program Coordinator: 860-685-2330, slawrence@wesleyan.edu
