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Volume 56 (2005 - 200･･･
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Volume 56, Issue 3
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[in Japanese], [in Japanese]2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 566
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSDownload PDF (91K) -
An Investigation of Japanese Sociology TextbooksToshio TOMOEDA, Mamoru YAMADA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 567-584
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: April 23, 2010
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThis term, the board of education for sociology examined a number of general textbooks on sociology published during the postwar period. This paper was written as an introduction to the special issue of this volume, which focuses on this examination. Among the various textbooks on sociology, we direct our attention, in particular, toward the introduction to sociology or the general outline of sociology in textbooks.
The general view of the social changes in postwar Japanese society is that while a trend toward individualization is observed, there exists a considerable gap between the “early modern” and the “late modern” periods. From changes such as industrialization, urbanization, and an increase in the number of nuclear families in the early modern period, one can discern the rise of a new conservatism and a new liberalism in the political realm, a tendency toward a high-consumption society in the economical realm, and postmodern and linguistic changes in the cultural realm in the late modern period.
Sociology textbooks have been altered according to these social changes. First, the content and range that they deal with have changed from the early modern to the late modern period. Moreover, their presentation has changed considerably. While the transmission of orthodox sociological concepts and theories had once been central, making the textbooks easier to read has become the main concern today. Sociology textbooks have undergone a drastic transformation in both content and form.View full abstractDownload PDF (1798K) -
The Case of the textbook of Sociology of GenderKoich HASEGAWA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 585-600
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWhat is a good sociology textbook? To be good and successful, a sociology textbook must be both standard and unique. This is a dilemma that authors of textbooks in any field face. My co-authors and I were honored to learn that our textbook, Sociology of Gender, which was published in 1989 by Shinyo-sha, was successful in terms of both reputation and sales. It triggered the publishing of several textbooks in a new style. How did we solve the dilemma described above? Sociological knowledge, in general, is extremely remote and abstract for students. To bridge this gap, we tried to make the information relevant to the sense of reality experienced by students in their daily lives, and adopted a perspective that was dear to several students : gender. In each chapter, beginning from self-identity in daily life and ending with the global system, via family, labor, and the political world, we examined the topics through the lens of gender issues and gender biases. From writing this textbook, we learned four keys to success : (a) exercise strong leadership and editorship; (b) have clear concepts and focus points for proposing a new textbook; (c) use a readable, exciting, and challenging style of writing and organization; and (d) have a unique, interesting perspective as a central theme. In the early part of each chapter, we tried to provide stimulating questions; we used key words and columns to present accurate knowledge in a compact style, and long readable sentences for storytelling. Our unique gender perspective was, however, the most attractive feature. Evidently, textbooks must provide standardized and accurate knowledge; however, at the same time, they must also be unique and original to succeed. Uniqueness and originality are the major triggers for publishing and reading a new textbook. Without some unique and original feature, a textbook will not stimulate and attract students.View full abstractDownload PDF (1511K) -
The Publishing Process of An Interface to Sociological KnowledgeKenichi KAWASAKI, Masayuki FUJIMURA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 601-613
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: April 23, 2010
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe purpose of this paper is to trace the publication process of a sociological text “Shakaigakunouchu (An Interface to Sociological Knowledge)” (K. Kawasaki & M. Fujimura (eds.), Koseishakoseikaku, Tokyo, 1992) by the editors. Although all this kind of writing involves “the invention of the past, ” we attempt to construct our editing process-how to make plans, finalize them, write the books, publish them, etc. At the beginning of the 1990s, just after the “bubble economy, ” sociological education was swamped by reforms. We kept in mind the change in the way “traditional” sociological education was being imparted-from “well-educated sociology” to “practical sociology” or “DIY (Do It Yourself) Sociology.” We believe that our textbook played a role in giving a new direction to the field, as some others textbooks had done previously.View full abstractDownload PDF (1125K) -
A Case of How to Grasp Reality : Methods of Sociological ResearchTakatoshi IMADA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 614-625
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThere exist several approaches to sociological text making, such as introducing the framework of fundamental theories and concepts, introducing the sociological way of thought by highlighting doctrinal history, or introducing actuality analysis by focusing on research.
In adopting any of the above methods, it is manner of text making that offers comprehensible explanation for the beginner without being constrained by the specific school. In this paper, I will describe my view on the essence and manner of text making by referring to the text that I edited and focusing on the sociological research method. The essential point is to systematize the knowledge with a spirit of asceticism and service that absorbs the historical and cross-cultural points of view.View full abstractDownload PDF (1149K) -
Social Construction of Basic Sociological Knowledge in College EducationTakehiko KARIYA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 626-640
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWhat kind of sociological knowledge is transmitted in college education? Introductory textbooks on sociology represent its identity as a discipline. In this paper, I analyze the contents of introductory sociology textbooks in Japan and the United States from a comparative perspective. I find different degrees of institutionalization or standardization of sociological knowledge between the two countries. Japanese textbooks cover fewer fields of sociological research and the demarcation between the different fields is weaker in Japan than it is in the United States, i.e., the textbooks are less standardized in Japan.
I argue that these differences are derived from the different educational contexts of college education in these two societies. Japanese textbooks are increasingly shifting toward “perspective-oriented” knowledge from explanations of sociological concepts or theories. This tendency further reduces the standardization of sociological knowledge imparted in Japanese colleges. Finally, I raise a question about the direction Japanese sociological knowledge production will take and the extent to which this knowledge production is influenced by the changing styles of reproducing knowledge.View full abstractDownload PDF (1458K) -
The Development of Japanese Sociological Textbooks from the Chinese PerspectiveLI Guoqing2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 641-649
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSociological textbooks in Japan are charming to Chinese sociology which survived in 1979 after longer-than-twenty-years' interval. Textbooks written by Ken'ichi Tominaga and Hiroyuki Torigoe, which the author read as a student, are systematically written, although the former attempts to grasp patterns common to human societies from the perspective of general theory and the latter seeks particular characteristics of the Japanese society using culturalist approaches.
Japanese sociology still displays the sociological traits of a late-starting non-Western society, and its textbooks are basically the products of its dialogue with Western sociology and its localization toward the Japanese intellectual climate. To the author's regret, however, Japanese textbooks rarely refer to Asian societies, although it is strongly expected that unique concepts that are conceived in Japan will be able to explain social phenomena in Asian societies, including China.View full abstractDownload PDF (886K) -
from the Perspectives of EditorsShigeto SONODA, Mamoru YAMADA, Chiyo YONEMURA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 650-663
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSA number of readable and understandable textbooks on sociology have been published since the 1990s, but few empirical studies have addressed the logic and dynamics of this “textbook revolution.” The Committee on Sociological Education has conducted interviews with editors from Publisher Yuhikaku, who have been engaged in the publication of sociology textbooks for a long time, in order to understand, from a historical perspective, how the textbook revolution was brought about.
The results of the interview reveal that (a) the textbook revolution was initiated by the editors; (b) teaching “concepts” was a basic pattern before the revolution, and the shift to teaching “perspectives” began around the 1970s, (c) the textbook revolution was a result of an adaptation to changing external conditions, including a fall in the purchase of textbooks by students; and (d) the publication of textbooks is heavily dependent on the direction of the college education policy and the orientation of the market.View full abstractDownload PDF (1229K) -
Naoko TAKEDA, Hiroaki KONNO2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 664-684
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThis article reports the results of case studies that investigated the manner in which sociology textbooks are used in both universities and vocational schools in Japan.
The vocational schools covered in the studies were schools for prospective nurses, social workers, and civil servants. The results revealed that it is difficult to generalize the reasons and conditions for which the textbooks are used in different schools. The textbooks were compiled and used differently in each case, depending on various conditions : the students' purposes for studying the subject, the schools' teaching programs, the rationale behind the inclusion of the subject in qualifying examinations, the success of the students with regard to the subject in such examinations, and the establishing of a professional status for nurses and social workers.
The analysis of the syllabi for sociology classes showed that the types of textbooks used in universities are varied. Three major factors which influence the choice and use of these textbooks emerged with regard to this in interviews with teachers : the attitudes of the students towards the textbooks, the intentions of the teachers in programming class schedules, and characteristics of respective textbooks. The purpose of sociology education in universities is to transmit the discipline of sociology to the next generation. Compiling sociology textbooks from the point of view of the students and the efficient use of such textbooks should be suitable to the inherent purpose of university education.View full abstractDownload PDF (2312K) -
Features and Problems of Sociology Textbooks Published in Recent YearsTadashi INAZUKI, Yoshimi KIMURA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 685-709
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: April 23, 2010
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe purpose of this study is to understand the tendencies in sociology textbooks in postwar Japan published in recent years and to grasp their specific features.
Therefore, the study reviewed sociology textbooks published since 1985 and categorized them based on the bibliography of the Japanese sociology database.
The results of this analysis are as follows : (a) With respect to the content, a large number of the textbooks created by one author cover systematic theory and academic introduction to sociology as well as introductory theories to each field in sociology. (b) With respect to the form, the textbooks tend to include the photographs, diagrams, and words of the key concepts. (c) There has been an increase in the type of textbooks that introduce the perspectives of sociology.
On the other hand, textbooks that relate and discuss “social problems” or “social planning” and “social researches” or “social indicator theories, ” which were published frequently in the 1970s, have gradually disappeared in recent years. With a focus on perspective and intention, sociology education may come to a deadlock. To prevent this, it is necessary, in addition to an introduction to perspectives, to develop an empirical method in which newly uncovered “problems” can be tied to social practice.View full abstractDownload PDF (2349K) -
Hiroki MAEDA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 710-726
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSHow does “description” matter to sociology? This question arises from the following concerns : (a) that the description of the social objects of inquiry may be extended indefinitely and (b) that description is not merely a resource for sociological study but that the practice of description itself is a topic of sociological inquiry (Schegloff 1988). To restate these concerns more broadly : (a) Could there be such a thing as an “exhaustive” description (i.e., a problem regarding the possibility of description) and (b) How should sociological description relate itself to members' description (i.e., a problem regarding the status of description).
In this paper, I will demonstrate that the skeptical attitude of (a) is based on a misleading assumption, which dismisses the fact that the activity of description embraces the ascription of motives to membership categories. I will show that by rejecting such skepticism, we may be able to understand that members' description of a practice is part of the practice itself.
I will then move on to (b) and examine the suggestion by H. Sacks and E. Schegloff that sociological description should be constrained by the procedural character of vernacular activities. Subsequently, based on this examination and by analyzing the data derived from medical encounters, I will demonstrate that the description of actions is an activity of ascribing motives and responsibility, and that such activities are a constituent part of organizing practices.
Describing an action always involves some level of friction and is, in itself, equivalent to ascribing motives and responsibilities, criticizing, making excuses, and giving justifications. Further, ascribing responsibilities is always a part of various practices (such as giving/taking advice). With these points in mind, I will conclude by suggesting a way of describing such organizations of practice.View full abstractDownload PDF (1669K) -
William I. Thomas, “Social Theory” and the Memory of ImmigrantsShigeru URANO2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 727-744
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSociological investigations into collective and/or public memory have revealed that memory is treated as a resource for the construction of a collective identity. While this idea is generally accepted, some critics believe that this sociological analysis itself can be ironically utilized as a resource for collective identity construction. If this criticism is correct, we need to examine the basic assumptions of this form of analyzing memory.
In the context of this problem, the purpose of this paper is to explore the historical process in which sociology has made itself what it is through the reconceptualization of memory. In particular, the construction of William I. Thomas' “social theory” and its relation to the problems of immigrants in those days will be the major focus areas of the paper.
The central point of this discussion is the shift of the concept of memory from the one coincides with the concept “heredity” in Neo-Lamarckian framework to another that is distinctively human which cannot be attributable to biological traits. In addition, Thomas focuses mainly on the memory of the immigrants, considering their assimilation into the United States. Furthermore, he and his followers suggest apparatuses that operate on the memories of immigrants to promote this assimilation. In this sense, sociology in its early days can be regarded as not only as a science of memory but also as a technology of memory.View full abstractDownload PDF (1753K) -
Social Construction of “West” and “Japan”Rio TAKEUCHI2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 745-759
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIn this paper, I examine the discourse on “Shinshi” (gentleman), who symbolized Westernization, modernization, and civilization in books on etiquette and successful life and articles in magazines from the Meiji to the Taishou era. I focus on the types of discussion and rhetoric used in the banter surrounding “Shinshi” . Through this focus, I study the powerful influences of the “West” and “civility” and the reactions of Japanese people to these influences in modern Japan.
The most popular types of rhetoric in “Shinshi” banter can be categorized as (1) the social construction of “Ese Shinshi” (pseudo-gentleman) and (2) the reconstruction of “Shin no Shinshi” (true gentleman). The social construction of “Ese Shinshi” criticized the Japanese pseudo-gentleman from the perspective of the Western true gentleman, while the reconstruction of “Shin no Shinshi” argued that the ideal type of “Shin no Shinshi” existed in “Bushido” (spirits of samurai) and “Edoshumi” (culture of Edo) in pre-industrialized Japan. Both types of “Shinshi” banter rhetoric set the utopia or ideal in a different place and time, and criticized the present time and place from the point of view of the utopia or ideal. In the historical period in which these books and articles appeared, Japan was pulled in one direction by the need for modernization and Westernization, and in another by the desire to maintain and construct a “traditional Japanese culture”. By suggesting that the Western “Shin no Shinshi” existed in “traditional Japanese culture (as in the spirit of samurai)”, these works attempted to reconcile these conflicting missions.View full abstractDownload PDF (1536K) -
Looking from the Simultaneity of Bureaucracy and IndividualizationMotoaki TAKAHARA2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 760-777
Published: December 31, 2005
Released on J-STAGE: April 23, 2010
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe aim of this paper is to examine the fluidity of youth employment and the tertiary industrialization that is part of international trade and the change in Japan's industrial policy. This process, known as “post-industrialization, ” occurred in every developed country; however, Japan contained the following unique characteristics : (a) a cruel division, known as “company-centricism, ” existed between employees inside/outside the companies; (b) the two Oil Crises had comparatively weak consequences in Japan because of the strong cooperation between capital and labor, so that the dominant position of existing large corporations did not collapse, as in the case of the United States and UK; (c) lower-class labor, which inevitably increases during the “post-industrialization” process, was supplied by the nation itself and not by immigrants. At that time, the increase in the fluidity of youth employment was explained by policymakers as a positive contribution to the national economy, although the same phenomenon is viewed as a symptom of economic crisis today.View full abstractDownload PDF (1869K) -
2005 Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 778
Published: 2005
Released on J-STAGE: October 19, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSDownload PDF (27K)
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