Create instance of generic type in Java?

Question

Is it possible to create an instance of a generic type in Java? I\'m thinking based on what I\'ve seen that the answer is no (due to type erasure), but

Answer 1

You'll need some kind of abstract factory of one sort or another to pass the buck to:

interface Factory {
    E create();
}

class SomeContainer {
    private final Factory factory;
    SomeContainer(Factory factory) {
        this.factory = factory;
    }
    E createContents() {
        return factory.create();
    }
}