Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a specific problem or cultural phenomenon—be it the decolonization of consciousness in Korean literature or a postmodern televisual production in Japan—but necessarily constructs a historical narrative. The boisterous tarento shows on Japanese television demand that we rethink the nature of information and image production in relation to leisure management, whereas cinematic spectacles across the region point to complex issues of agency, the formation of the public sphere, and postnationalist identities or nonidentities. With the notion of "historical depth," the appropriateness of the "travel" metaphor to describe our approach to contemporary East Asian culture becomes more evident. The study of contemporary East Asian culture is ultimately a confrontation with the realities of the modern world that we all live in.