Author : Wimal Dissanayake
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 9780816626571
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (265 download)
Book Synopsis Narratives of Agency by : Wimal Dissanayake
Download or read book Narratives of Agency written by Wimal Dissanayake and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multidisciplinary collection underlines the importance of understanding the operations of human agency - defined here as the ability to exert power, specifically in resistance to ideological pressure. In particular, the contributors emphasize the historical and cultural conditions that facilitate the production of agency in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of China, India, and Japan. The contributors argue that traditional Western approaches to the study of these cultures have unduly focused on the pervasive influence of family and clan (China), caste and fatalism (India), and groupism (Japan), reminding us that members of a community have to make personal choices, struggle and interact with others, and confront new challenges, all of which involve intentionality and human agency.