"There has been no truly major study of twentieth-century Japanese intellectual life in either Japanese or English, until now. "Overcome by Modernity" is the product of a major scholar working at full stretch at the height of his career. It is informed by an astonishing breadth of learning and depth of reflection, and demonstrates a seriousness of intellectual engagement that can only be salutary in our current situation."--William Haver, Binghamton University
"Harootunian frames his masterful analysis of Japan with a sure grasp of the malaise of modernity in other places. By juxtaposing a wide variety of writers within a single argument, he reveals how much they had in common in their efforts to overcome the profound unevennesses that are the hallmark of modernity everywhere. A powerful and important book."--Carol Gluck, Columbia University
