Jared Diamonds seminal book Guns, Germs, and Steel was published in 1997 and immediately became a bestseller. The Japanese translation of this book was subsequently published in 2000 and it attracted a large readership during the decade of the 2000s. Diamonds main argument that the human geographic setting was advantageous in the development of European so-ciety received both positive and negative reviews in anglophone publications, including a number of strong criticisms from ge-ographers. In Japan, however, the book was overwhelmingly praised in various reviews, and despite its relevance to the disci-pline, very few geographers voiced their opinions publicly. Through the analysis of this book and published reviews (in both English and Japanese), this paper examines the acceptance processes of Guns, Germs, and Steel, which took a different path between the anglophone and Japanese publishing world. It argues that while introducing academic works from overseas is cru-cial, critical perspectives and discussions are essential to develop the discipline of geography in Japan.
CITATION STYLE
Futamura, T., Aramata, M., Naruse, A., & Sugiyama, K. (2012). How Does Japanese Geography Discuss Guns, Germs, and Steel? Comparative Analysis of Its Acceptance Processes between Anglophone and Japanese Publications. E-Journal GEO, 7(2), 225–249. https://doi.org/10.4157/ejgeo.7.225
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