In this article, the past, present, and future of Home Economics and Home Economics Education in Japan are discussed. First, the four models of Home Economics in Past, Present, and Future by Marjorie East is reviewed in light of the current situation in Japan; then, a new ontology for the flourish of Home Economics and Home Economics Education is presented, using critical realism theory as a guide for the discussion. It is suggested that “the difficulty” in Home Economics today lies in the fact that, in Japan where the gender gap has remained big, the female model has been emphasized over the other models in the field. Overcoming this would require undertaking a theoretical reconstruction of the academic system for all stakeholders. For Home Economics, a discipline in which research has centered around interdisciplinarity, deepening scholarly understanding of critical realism would invite reaffirmations of the discipline’s identity, furthering its flourish.
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