How Japanese is cherry blossom? Jung Lees vivid and subtle tale of interdependence and rivalry between botanists in Japan and Korea is an outstanding contribution both to the transnational history of modern science, and to our understanding of the dynamics of imperialism and nationalism.
Francesca Bray, University of Edinburgh, UK
One of the most important books on modern East Asian science in recent years. Renaming Plants and Nations is an impressive examination of the entanglement of science (particularly botany), Japanese imperialism/colonialism, and Korean nationalism. This book also provides a fascinating case study in the global history of science. A must-read.
Fa-ti Fan, Binghamton University, USA
This book makes an incisive analysis of how the mundane yet connected multi-local practices of classifying and naming plants, such as Japanese cherry and rose of Sharon, in Japanese colonial Korea (1910-1945) simultaneously shaped Korean and Japanese botany while also changing 'Western' principles and practices of botany.
Geun Bae Kim, Jeonbuk National University, South Korea
This book provides a new view of the global history of botany from the local perspective of botanists in East Asia under Japanese imperialism. Lee sheds light on forgotten botanists, both colonizers and colonized, who tried their own practices under colonial culture and politics.
Akihisa Setoguchi, Kyoto University, Japan
