Kansai Sociological Review
Online ISSN : 2423-9518
Print ISSN : 1347-4057
Volume 13
Displaying 1-24 of 24 articles from this issue
Articles
  • Meyu YAMAMOTO
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 5-17
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    At the beginning of the twentieth century, 'white' countries and colonies around the world restricted immigration from Asia, which was associated with the 'Yellow Peril' panic and the threat to the 'white' labour. While literature on the immigration policies towards Asians at that time has been pursued for decades, the history of Japanese migrants to the Union of South Africa has not been adequately addressed. From the perspective of racial studies, this article aims to examine how negotiation, adaptation and resistance by the Japanese authorities subverted the racial boundaries of South African immigration policies. As a result of Indian immigration at the end of the nineteenth century, along with the flow of Chinese labourers entering the country in the early part of the twentieth century, Asian exclusion movements became widespread throughout South Africa. The Union government established the Immigrant Regulation Act in 1913, aiming to restrict Asian immigrants. Being treated not as whites but as non-whites under the Act, the Japanese government and consulate repeatedly negotiated with their South African counterparts. Eventually the two countries exchanged an agreement in 1930, which allowed Japanese merchants, tourists and researchers to enter the country, although with some restrictions. Behind this change were the decision of the Japanese government to exclude working-class subjects from Japanese immigration into the Union, and a shift in South African economic circumstances in which the wool industry had to expand its market due to the Great Depression. Regarding the status of Japanese residents as "inbetween" (Barrett and Roediger 1997) as described in whiteness studies and migration studies, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how the whiteness of the Japanese was linked to an uncertainty of their status in the country.
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  • Takeshi HIRAMOTO
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 18-31
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In recent years, a number of non-profit organizations (NPOs) have been established to tackle several social problems. Previous studies on NPOs have pointed out that the demarcation between them and other organizations such as for-profit companies is unclear since the definition of NPOs is itself ambiguous. We investigate how organizations are viewed as NPOs based on their routine activities via a detailed examination of video-recorded naturally occurring data of meetings in an NPO. In other words, we observe the way members of the NPO view their organization as an NPO, instead of trying to deduce a clear definition from the researchers' viewpoint. An analysis of the conversation during such a meeting demonstrates how members of the NPO manifest their philosophies and present the vision and mission of the organization. The results reveal the following insights about the philosophies of the members and the organization: 1) they are not randomly referred to during the interaction; 2) they are referred to in an orderly manner by introducing the perspective of governance into the decision-making process of the meeting; 3) they are used to justify opinions on governance-related decision-making; and 4) they are negotiated via the meeting. These findings illustrate how members of the NPO systematically and methodically refer to their organization's philosophies and depict it as an NPO.
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  • Rie MOTOHASHI
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 32-44
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This paper examines how the mother-norm has changed by looking at the Maternal and Child Health Handbook from the war time to the present. Since the current child-rearing policy was established in the 1990s, the norm of dedicated childcare by full-time housewives has been criticized. Instead, participation of fathers in childcare has been encouraged. What is the most desirable way for those who are in charge of maternal childcare? Previous research on childcare media, which used administration documents and childcare magazines as an analytical framework, has pointed out that the modern mother-norm has been relativized since the 1990s. However, the administration documents are not familiar to childcare givers, and childcare magazines tend to depict what readers want to see. Therefore, I conducted a practical comparative analysis on the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, which is distributed to all pregnant women and is thus one of the most familiar public media for childcare givers, to see how the contents of the handbook have changed, and how the changes affect the mother-norm. The research revealed that the Maternal and Child Health Handbook replaced the word "mother" with "parents" from the 1990s to 2000s in order to show that childcare became more gender-neutral. Nevertheless, since the 1970s the Handbook has changed the contexts in which it has emphasized more advanced and child-centered childcare. Furthermore, the Handbook has increased the number of pages in the section where it requires childcare givers, mostly mothers, to write their inner feelings. Finally, this paper investigates how the MCHH overemphasizes the importance of a childcare giver's choices and will through the modern norm of "mother", which results in increasing a mother's burden.
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  • Shu KINOSHITA
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 45-57
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    How do people react to and interpret the behaviors of an individual labeled a "dementia patient"? To answer this question, an in-depth analysis of one particular case of "the new century of dementia care" (Iguchi 2007) is presented in this paper. "The new century of dementia care" defines the current Japanese perspective on dementia care in which much importance is attached to communication between patients and their carers. This perspective recognizes that carers often try to "approach" patients in their current condition with the expectation that they may react. Moreover, carers regard such "approaching" as a "moral duty." What seems to be lacking is detailed analysis of the actual "approaching" or communication that occurs, the findings on which could lead to a reformation of present sociological frameworks on dementia care that emphasize the "self-fulfilling prophecy of impairment" (Lyman 1989). Data were gathered from participant observations within care settings, and this paper discusses in particular the interactions between Ms L (the patient) and her family. Data analysis revealed many elements of "the new century of dementia care," where Ms L's family was strongly oriented to "approach" (or communicate with) her with expectations of her reaction. Thus, their case was deemed a particular example of such care. Family carers almost always referred to Ms L's previous way of life before she was diagnosed with dementia. The study found a certain standard of "approaching" in dementia care, which I termed "life," after the geriatric psychiatrist Isao Ozawa's (2003) discussion. Further, a paradoxical conclusion was drawn: because carers respect the "life" of patients as a standard of care, carers must mobilize all their knowledge about patients in caring for them. While dementia care often centers on care settings, "what patients want/like/feel" and so on is highly dependent on interactions with carers.
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  • Yoshinori IRIE
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 58-70
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the Anime Pilgrim's personal relations. Although Anime Pilgrims are regarded as "otaku", they enjoy acquaintance with people in the location of the animation. They become "guests" in a "Mecca for Anime Fans". In previous studies, it was concluded that otaku would build closed relationships limited to people who share common hobbies and values. Anime Pilgrims are regarded as otaku, yet they talk with people in a "Mecca for Anime Fans", and they are relied on by storekeepers, office workers and professors for support of the events for anime fans. This fact has been overlooked in previous studies on otaku. On that basis, I conducted interviews with Anime Pilgrims, and made the following finding. Anime Pilgrims appreciate that they greet people in a "Mecca for Anime Fans" as a matter of common courtesy, and they voluntarily team up with storekeepers, office workers and professors so that the events for anime fans will succeed, because they love anime. As a result, they build confidence, and they become "guests" in a "Mecca for Anime Fans".
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Special Section I Japan’s Challenges for the Future from a Global Perspective
  • Emiko OCHIAI, Fumiko KAMBARA
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 71-74
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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  • Mieko TAKAHASHI
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 75-84
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    It can be said that work-family balance (hereafter referred to as WFB) is an important political issue for welfare states in order to realize a healthy and fulfilling life for their citizens. The Japanese national government adopted a Work-Life Balance Charter in December 2007, but the emergence of WFB related policies has not altered the core of the social structure premised upon the gender logic that defines men as earners and women as carers. Japan appears to be a country with a prominent gender gap in WFB compared with the advanced countries of the EU. Using macro data derived from national surveys and micro data collected from face-to-face interviews with 104 employees (51 women and 53 men) from dual-earning nuclear families with preschool children, this paper highlights outstanding characteristics of WFB in Japan compared with countries of the EU such as Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, and suggests directions for change. We have observed that there exist several gaps with regard to WFB in Japan: a gap between women and men, a gap between WFB policies and their implementation, and a gap between the ideal and the actual practice. The latter gaps can be considered to be caused in large part by gendered working patterns. Not only Sweden but also the Netherlands and Germany have taken steps towards the dual-earner family model. Therefore, it is critical to draw up an agenda for a gender-equal policy with the premise that the family is constituted of "dual earner/dual carer". It is also important to promote "decent work" as a measure in order to achieve a better WFB.
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  • Hyang-Nam KIM
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 85-92
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Following the neoliberalism of the 1980s, the matter of social security tended to be discussed from the viewpoint of retrenchment. In Japan, a neoliberal policy to reduce social expenditure was enacted. On the other hand, after the economic crisis of 1997 the social security system expanded rapidly in Korea. However, Korea is a late-coming welfare state. Therefore Korea had to restructure itself at the same time in order to build a welfare state. Three governments have pursued restructuring of the welfare state while also forming the welfare state. And this was undertaken under double pressure: to support new social risks with correspondence to the old social risks. In addition to the liberal governments aiming at welfare expansion, (under Kim Dae-Jung and Roh Moo-Hyun), the conservative government of Lee Myung-Bak also recognized the need for welfare expansion. As a result, social expenditure increased under the Lee Myung-Bak regime. In Korea, one-sided policy promotion according to the ideology of the government has become impossible.
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  • Wako ASATO
    Article type: Article
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 93-101
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Externalization of domestic work, care work and nursing is increasing due to feminization of the labor force backed by economic development and the higher demand for care caused by the ageing of society. This resulted in there being 700,000 domestic workers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This externalization follows a similar trend in Korea and other Southeast Asian migrant-receiving countries. Japan is an exception, where the gender division of housework is relatively rigid and the externalization of domestic work has not developed. However, acceptance of foreign workers has historically been an issue. The present paper clarifies the details of the debate during the discussion of Long Term Care Insurance, the Point system in 2012, and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in 2008. Japanese policy on foreign workers is not based upon the supplemental role of foreign workers arising from market demand. However, de facto workers have been accepted under the guise of trainees, persons of Japanese ancestry, and foreign students. Under EPA scheme, nurses and care workers were accepted as "candidates", though the government does not acknowledge staff shortages, which makes it difficult to understand the legitimacy of the scheme. The reluctance to adopt a foreign worker policy derives from the logic and discourse on sovereignty, social cost and so forth. However, the establishment of a new social system according to demographic change is an urgent challenge. It is suggested that foreign worker policy should be connected to social policy.
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  • Tuukka TOIVONEN, [in Japanese]
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 102-110
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In the past two decades, a new global field of practice and research has emerged around the concepts of social entrepreneurship and innovation. However, notwithstanding important advances in explaining the behaviour of social entrepreneurs, the logic of their business models and examples of social innovation, the field has not yet adequately dealt with collaborative phenomena. This brief conceptual paper thus strives to construct a flexible framework through which this dimension can be more systematically investigated. It proposes that collaborative activity in the social entrepreneurship field increasingly unfolds in the context of so-called Social Innovation Communities-hybrid entities driven by socially entrepreneurial cultures as well as by a combination of physical (co-working) spaces and digital Internet architectures. From Kyoto and Tokyo to Toronto and London, such communities are now emerging across the world and they may be viewed as collaborative communities that (beyond facilitating collaboration in an immediate sense) help "rewire" wider social innovation circuits in a given area. By incorporating diverse participants, accelerating processes of learning and enhancing our creative capabilities, Social Innovation Communities are set to catalyze the transition towards inventive, sustainable economies. A range of disciplinary and methodological approaches, from Social Network Analysis, Social Capital Theory and ethnographic methods, can be fruitfully applied to the further study of these entities, the innovation processes they facilitate and the impacts they bring about.
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Special Section II Qualitative Data Archiving: Some Considerations on its Possibilities and Problems
  • Atsushi SAKURAI
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 111-113
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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  • Tazuko KOBAYASHI
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 114-124
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Methods for treating qualitative research data have come into question under the circumstances of the rapid development of digital technology and an increasing consciousness regarding the protection of private information. Moreover, qualitative research data also faces problems such as the conflict between personal documents and historical value; the verifiability of data and the problems of access by third persons, e.g., for secondary use and secondary analysis; and how to conserve and maintain the social research data as a 'research heritage'. On this basis we conducted a questionnaire survey on the treatment of qualitative data in order to develop it into a more reliable sociological method. The results introduced here focus on responses by sociologists, and examine the current situation regarding qualitative data and the possibilities for its archivation. It was found that the interview is the main method of conducting qualitative research and that this is combined with the use of various personal documents. To deal with the rapid changes in ethical consciousness, however, some researchers find it necessary to resort to a two-stage permission process for interviewees. Furthermore, it was indicated that research data has to be recognized as a public asset, and that based on this awareness of publicness, there is a necessity to clarify the academic significance, social meaning and historical value of research data, and to establish archival rules and an archival system for data conservation.
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  • Kazuhiko MORIMOTO
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 125-132
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We will examine the issues of releasing and sharing the data collected by qualitative research, in the case of the construction of a database of the research reports on village communities stored in the Sociology Research Laboratory of Kyoto University. The Sociology Research Laboratory has a library of 449 volumes of village community research reports dating from 1947 to 1971. A database was compiled of these, as they were considered valuable as fundamental materials for local community research and as resources for social research history. However, it presented many problems that required to be examined, such as to how to make the database or how finally to release the data. As to releasing the data, there were issues of copyright and image rights, as well as what kind of restrictions should be imposed on the usage of the data and the database system. By reviewing how these issues were coped with, we will examine how materials stored in university research laboratories should be released.
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  • Saeko ISHITA
    2014 Volume 13 Pages 133-143
    Published: May 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In this paper, we pick up some available moving image archives in Japan and abroad. We then discuss the problems and possibility of the moving image archive for qualitative research from three viewpoints: using / making / sharing. From the viewpoint of "using" the moving image archive, we examine the advantages and problems of the method. The advantages include the exploitation of research materials and perspectives, and the elaboration of the methodology. The problems include the newness of the methodology, misunderstanding about the range of context, and the entireness of materials. Next, from the viewpoint of "making" a moving image archive, the advantages and problems are also discussed. It is very instructive for research practice that researchers experience archive construction. In addition, from the utility of the archive, a design suitable for research could be expected. Thirdly, the difficulty of "sharing" moving image archives including law revision is very hard to solve at the moment. It is to grope for a way of fair use that researchers network, and academic societies are possible. Lastly, we mention the need for research methodology for the specialized genres of moving image archives, and the development possibility of qualitative research.
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