The Gods of the Sea

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Holm provides a thoroughly researched, engaging, and welcome new perspective on northeastern Japan's relationships with whales, from respect and not hunting them in the Tokugawa period (when whaling was practiced in western Japan) through the human and ecosystem-level changes that transformed the region into a base for modern industrial whaling.' Jakobina Arch, Whitman College 'Gods of the Sea is a masterful and eloquent account of Japan's neglected northeast and that region's fascinating historical relationship with whales. Holm goes beyond standard whaling histories to engage creatively and movingly with the larger oceanic ecosystems and human cultures that give this whale story deep meaning and wide resonance.' Ryan Tucker Jones, University of Oregon 'This study is equally ambitious in design and argument and offers fertile ideas for both Japanese and environmental history. Holm's book does what every good book should do, which is to think imaginatively with history in ways that lead readers toward productive new questions.' Charlotte Ciavarella, H-Net Reviews 'This is a notable addition to maritime and environmental history, and while it is a microhistory of Japan's often-forgotten northeastern region, it will prove accessible and engaging to a wide array of readers. Well organized with clear and concise arguments, the text will prove engaging and accessible to both seasoned scholarly readers and more general audiences, who will almost certainly walk away more informed and with new lines of questioning and thought.' Michael Toth, H-Net Reviews