2023 Volume 73 Issue 4 Pages 399-417
This article aims to reveal characteristics and major currents of sociology of culture in Japan. In recent years, sociology of culture has received a great deal of scholarly attention, reaching out to growing numbers of students and researchers. With the backdrop of this burgeoning field, it is no exaggeration to say that we are now entering an “age of sociology of culture.”
One prominent characteristic of sociology of culture lies in the breadth of its research subjects and perspectives. In comparison to other fields of sociologies, sociology of culture does not merely focus on a specific area in society, but rather, it attempts to delve into society as a whole through culture.
The term “culture” can be understood in a narrow and broad sense. The former sees culture observed in everyday life, such as popular culture and mass culture, while the latter embraces a broader perspective on society, ranging from lifestyle in general to social structures, to such civilizations as the Japanese or Western culture. In this sense, sociology of culture is an approach that serves to understand the dynamism articulated between cultures in both senses.
From this perspective, sociology of culture in Japan has undergone four major stages of change. The first stage was the period of emergence in the prewar era. It was followed by the period of development until the period of rapid economic growth in postwar Japan. It was a time when several sociologists, conducted important research on mass culture while refining their own theoretical perspectives, which remains influential today. The third stage was the stabilized period wherein sociology of culture became more prevalent. Now, sociology of culture is in its fourth stage.
