In the work of writer Abe Kobo 1924 1993 characters are alienated both from themselves and from one another Through close readings of Abe s work Richard Calichman reveals how time and writing have the ability to unground identity Over time attempts to create unity of self cause alienation despite government attempts to convince people to form communities and nations to recapture a sense of wholeness Art then must resist the nation state and expose its false ideologies Calichman argues that Abe s attack on the concept of national affiliation has been neglected through his inscription as a writer of Japanese literature At the same time the institution of Japan Studies works to tighten the bond between nation state and individual subject Through Abe s essays and short stories he shows how the formation of community is constantly displaced by the notions of time and writing Beyond Nation thus analyzes the elements of Orientalism culturalism and racism that often underlie the appeal to collective Japanese identity