Ben Waber reviewed Alegal by Annmaria M. Shimabuku
Important History Mixed with Tired Philosophy
4 stars
The majority of this book focuses on the history of the US occupation of Okinawa and the central role of the sex industry in this time period. This history isn't well covered in many other academic books, and learning about the legal limbo of Okinawa and Okinawans vis a vis both Japan and the US was eye opening. Other parts of the book, however, retread tired Marxist tropes (seriously: there's a whole section called "The Lumpenproletariat") and use overly obtuse language to theorize about social relations. If you breeze through those sections it's a worthwhile read
The majority of this book focuses on the history of the US occupation of Okinawa and the central role of the sex industry in this time period. This history isn't well covered in many other academic books, and learning about the legal limbo of Okinawa and Okinawans vis a vis both Japan and the US was eye opening. Other parts of the book, however, retread tired Marxist tropes (seriously: there's a whole section called "The Lumpenproletariat") and use overly obtuse language to theorize about social relations. If you breeze through those sections it's a worthwhile read