The Whites are the Enemies of Heaven.

AuthorGreene, Barbara

Driscoll, Mark W. The Whites are the Enemies of Heaven. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2021. i-367. Paperback, $29.95.

Mark W. Driscoll's The Whites are the Enemies of Heaven is a fascinating exploration of the exploitative ideologies of nineteenth century European imperialism in both central China and Japan. Driscoll is known for his previous work, Absolute Erotic, Absolute Grotesque, which explored the populations rendered powerless and invisible under Japanese expansionism through the lens of critical theory and subaltern studies. Unsurprisingly, Driscoll has continued his examination of the inequities and exploitations of nineteenth century imperialist ideologies with this text, albeit now with a focus on the racial and economic justifications given by ninettenth century Euro-American imperialists for their actions in East Asia and the ways in which imperialism was resisted by groups in China and Japan.

This work primarily focuses on the ways that the white supremacist ideology that underpinned much of nineteenth century European and American imperialism. The ideology of imperialism not only created systems of economic exploitation and social precarity within the regions that were targeted by major imperialist powers but also created the foundations for the political and economic structures that would eventually precipitate anthropogenic climate change. Driscoll, utilizing a number of novel sources in a variety of languages, is able to demonstrate a strong contrast in the perception among the local populations and members of the imperialist diaspora communities concerning the ways that the natural environment and resources should be exploited that supports his case well.

In one instance highlighted in the text, Driscoll notes that Eling mountain near Chongqing had a number of limitations placed on the quarrying of rock from the site due to beliefs in feng shui. When members of the local community began to dig deeper into the mountainside, the resulting conflict concerning the use of natural resources of Eling Mountain was resolved through legally arbitrated negotiations between various local interests who came to a mutually beneficial agreement. Therefore, the environmental and spiritual damage inflicted on the local community was limited by social and religious pressure. However, once Chongqing was forcibly opened to foreign trade, this area was promptly claimed by an American Methodist missionary group that placed their mission at...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT