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Key Texts for Japanese Sociology

Book cover: Key Texts for Japanese Sociology

The commemorative volume for the 100th anniversary of the Japan Sociological Society

Though rich, diverse, unique and engaging, Japan′s sociological outputs have been internationally underrepresented. In its thoughtful translation and curation of key Japanese sociological texts, this volume redresses this imbalance and treads exciting new ground. Comprising 17 chapters spanning seven decades, this text introduces you to fundamental themes, from classical studies in postwar Japan to contemporary sociological issues like migration politics, social mobility and gender-based violence. Key Texts for Japanese Sociology is an original, much-needed resource, empowering a foundational, confident understanding of the national, regional and local traditions of Japanese sociology from the latter half of the last century to today.

This volume was published to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Japan Sociological Society. Additionally, it also forms part of the Sage Studies in International Sociology (SSIS), a series published by the International Sociological Association.

Contents

  • Part I: Sociological Explorations in Contemporary Japan at Crossroads
  • Part II: How Have Unique Concepts been Created on Emerging Realities
  • Part III: Networks and Institutions on which Japanese Sociologists Work
  • Part IV: Postwar Japan in the Making: Classical Studies in 1950-70s
  • more info
Hideo Nakazawa

Edited by :
Hideo Nakazawa

Trustee in charge of KTJS, the Japan Sociological Society
Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sophia University

Edited by : Hideo Nakazawa

Trustee in charge of KTJS, the Japan Sociological Society
Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sophia University

Key Text for Japanese Sociology (KTJS) is a title within International Sociological Association (ISA)’s Sage Studies in International Sociology (SSIS) framework. Moreover, this is an outcome of the centenary anniversary project by the Japan Sociological Society (JSS), established in 1924. KTJS is never the final nor determined selection of Japanese Sociology, but only a tiny showcase prepared from a limited viewpoints ... read more

Review by authors

  • Kenji Sato
    Kenji Sato
    Executive Director and Vice President, The University of Tokyo

    The works collected here offer but a glimpse of sociology’s sky through a thin straw, so to speak-in reality, the blue expanse of sociology stretches much further, with rich diversity and fascinating breadth. While this may go without saying, I want to emphasize that these selections represent only a small fraction of Japanese sociology’s accumulated accomplishments. ...read more

  • Sachi Takaya
    Sachi Takaya
    Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo

    Key Texts for Japanese Sociology reflects the trajectories of sociology as well as the complex social processes of postwar Japan. During this period, Japanese society experienced several contradictory social changes, such as economic development with its adverse effects, postwar democracy with the reluctant reflection of colonialism and invasions that led to defeat in the war, independence under the influence of the United States, and the “transfer of oppression” from the center to the marginalized, particularly Okinawa. In these contexts, sociological research from the 1950s to the 1970s along with the efforts to establish sociology as a social science captured the contradictions revealed by various social issues, from public hazards and poverty in the shadow of economic prosperity to rural communities left behind by rapid social mobility. ...read more

Recommendation

  • Chaime Marcuello-servos
    Chaime Marcuello-servós
    Former SSIS (Sage Series in International Sociology) series editor, publications committee, International Sociological Association
    Profesor, Universidad de Zaragoza

    At Sociocybernetics, we believe that things do not happen ‘only’ by chance. This book is the result of a sum of will and efforts that have combined to reach this point of being published and being available in an electronic version. Readers should know that they are holding a work in their hands, which opens up a world of sociological knowledge hitherto available only to those who can read Japanese. By being published in English, this work opens up the range of readership transcending language barriers. This is the outcome of our efforts. English is the lingua franca of the current century. Therefore, if something is published in English, its audience will multiply. When a major work is translated, a new universe of possibilities opens up for the world contained in that text, and for those who can finally enjoy reading it. ...read more

  • Yoshimichi Sato
    Yoshimichi Sato
    President of the Japan Sociological Society
    Professor and Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Kyoto University of Advanced Science
    Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University

    The Japan Sociological Society (JSS) celebrates its centennial in 2024, and Key Texts for Japanese Sociology (KTJS) was published to commemorate this milestone. Japanese sociology has evolved along a unique path. During its formative years after the Meiji Restoration, Japanese sociologists were eager to import Western sociology, such as Herbert Spencer’s theory of social evolution, to envision a new society. ...read more

Book cover: Key Texts for Japanese Sociology

Key Texts for
Japanese Sociology