History and the State in Nineteenth-Century Japan: The World, the Nation and the Search for a Modern Past

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The emergence of history as a scientific discipline in the nineteenth century is explored through Japan's transition from shogunate rule to an imperial government in 1868. Margaret Mehl investigates how this new government utilized the compilation of an official national history as a crucial element in its nation-building efforts, aiming to legitimize the state and unify the populace under a shared narrative.