Media: book, novel
Who: Yokomitsu Riichi
What: Follow the lives of various Japanese expats through semi-colonial Shanghai during the 20s where the boundaries of nationality, gender and class are simultaneously reinforced, questioned and subverted. Written in a highly externalized style, the text is peppered with great, pithy quotes that epitomize the capitalist system and ideologies of development.
Quotes:
"If having a conscience was such a big deal, then Shanghai would be full of unproductive people doing nothing."
"... because he was in Shanghai, the space his body took up was always a territory of Japan."
"Was this a factory for the sake of production or the sake of consumption?"
Links: amazon link