Abstract
This paper examines representations of “Futoko” [school refusers] and “Tokokyohi” [refusal to attend school] have changed since 1970. “Futoko” and “Tokokyohi” phenomenon presupposes schooling as one of the major devices of modernization. That is, representations of “Futoko” and “Tokokyohi” in public discourse have been part of a hegemonic link in modern and late-modern Japanese society. This paper analyzes articles about “Futoko” and “Tokokyohi” reported in the home and family section in Asahi Shimbun over 30 years. These discourse about “Tokokyohi” present it as a deviation from modern-family life, but treat “Futoko” as part of a tendency toward privatization. The privatized discourse about “Futoko” conceals structural factors that regulate the construction of it.
