I probably stated that a little too strongly but in general I'm allergic to cultural arguments that are basically warmed over Ruth Benedict. Is it possible to do serious work on political culture? Absolutely, whether survey work like Inglehart or more anthropological work. But when "scholar-practitioners" like Kissinger talk about culture often they're just talking about institutions, which might be durable but are not timeless. Too often I think culture is used to tell just-so stories in lieu of dynamics that may not be uniquely Japanese.
Well said. Thank you.
Excellent piece
I probably stated that a little too strongly but in general I'm allergic to cultural arguments that are basically warmed over Ruth Benedict. Is it possible to do serious work on political culture? Absolutely, whether survey work like Inglehart or more anthropological work. But when "scholar-practitioners" like Kissinger talk about culture often they're just talking about institutions, which might be durable but are not timeless. Too often I think culture is used to tell just-so stories in lieu of dynamics that may not be uniquely Japanese.