The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical significance of after-school care for school-aged children of working parents, especially mothers, from the perspective of labor policy for women. The paper focuses on relations with the labor mobilization targeting married women in Japan during the Second World War.

　Several studies on social policies in Japan during the Second World War have referred to the social work with relation to after-school care for school-aged children, but the facts have hardly been clarified. Therefore, this paper elucidates the characteristics of after-school care in terms of balancing work and childcare, based on the labor mobilization targeting married women in this period.

　First, the paper surveys the labor mobilization targeting women during the Second World War from the perspective of married womenʼs treatment. It is clear that social interest in the problem of balancing work and childcare increased as well because the government forced women into mobilization from 1943 on.

　Second, the paper considers the arguments for the necessity of after-school care for school-aged children at the same time. The social workers engaged in military relief work and the policy of mobilizing women for production labor stressed the need for after-school care for school-aged children of working mothers. They were understanding of the support for work-family balance, especially for working womenʼs childcare.

　Third, the paper considers the characteristics of the after-school care service for school-aged children starting around 1943: 1) It was aimed at all female industrial workers and their children; 2) Educational, industrial and regional sectors joined forces and worked as one sector; 3) It was a social work for the purpose of strengthening production capacity on the war footing.

　In conclusion, it is clear that this service was characterized as a social work, integrated with schools, industry, and neighborhood associations for married women and their children. This relates to the situation of womenʼs labor in Japan during the Second World War, when social interest in the support for work-family balance increased rapidly to mobilize women to production capacity.

　The theory of the other in educational studies has shown the limits of the awareness of teachers and, considering these limits, has presented the importance of tolerance to others. This theory has clarified what the other is in the educational relationship between teachers and learners, and has explored the possibility that a teacher can respect the otherness of a student. The theory has thus created a new growth model for teachers, characterized by “redoing.” However, this new growth model has a problem deriving from the educational theory of the other: the problem of self-contradiction between the content and the method. This self-contradiction can strengthen the centeredness of the subject, which the theory of the other in educational studies attempts to criticize. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a way to overcome the problem of self-contradiction in the educational theory of the other. The first section, after the overview of the development of the theory and its characteristics, considers the problem of self-contradiction. In order to analyze it in detail, the second section focuses on the subject formation theory of Judith Butler. Her theory is an important hint for this article, because it addresses the same issues as the criticism of the theory of the other in educational circles. The consideration of her theory shows the importance of recognizing the limits of our awareness and, at the same time, the difficulty of discussing them. Butler suggests that the assertion of the importance of recognizing the limits of our recognition results in the claim that we need to acquire more powerful awareness capacity, and in narcissism. In order to avoid the latter, she introduces the hyperbolic character of her statement, based on Lévinasʼs writings. The third section clarifies the function and the purpose of the hyperbole that Lévinas adopts. It is argued that hyperbole has critical and reflexive functions. Lévinasʼ method of hyperbole makes readers reflect on their existing framework of awareness. In addition, it lets readers detect an orientation toward the Other which they had not sensed before. The fourth section clarifies the limits of the growth model characterized by “redoing” and the way to overcome the problem of self-contradiction in the educational theory of the other. The theory must have not only a literal meaning, but also a performativity that allows readers to sense an orientation toward the Other and to reawaken and exercise vigilance against narcissism.

　This paper examines the concept of “association” in the Decroly Method, as well as the idea of globalisation that forms the core of the Method, in terms of studies of “dissociation” in French psychology.

　Ovide Decroly was a psychiatrist, educator, and one of the leading figures in the New Education Movement. He presented a curriculum that called for a “Decroly Method” based on his treatment and careful study of handicapped children (enfants irréguliers). Globalisation plays a psychological part and is at the very core of the Decroly Method. Previous studies on the Decroly Method and the concept of globalisation have tried to understand his series of studies and ideas in the context of child psychology or developmental psychology, considering them ecological. However, it would be premature to categorize the concept of globalisation in the Decroly Method only as a theory of child psychology or developmental psychology, considering that few studies have been conducted on his research using different perspectives. In addition, it is necessary to study the meaning of the ecological process. It is important to explore the concept of “association,” which marked a crucial point in understanding globalisation, while also simultaneously considering studies of “dissociation” in French psychology, which was merged with psychiatry around the turn of the last century.

　This paper attempts to address this gap by focusing on “a/di-ssociation,” the key to understanding the concept of globalisation in Decrolyʼs educational thoughts. After describing the relationship between French psychology in those days and Decrolyʼs psychological studies, the study examines the concept of globalisation by analyzing “association” in the Decroly Method from the perspective of “dissociation.”

　The paper clarifies that the concept of globalisation in Decrolyʼs studies is a psychological process understood as an adaptation of oneʼs life. 1) “Association” in psychological processes is carried out in all cases; 2) “dissociation” is more important than “association” because “dissociation” can renew and create other “associations”; 3) the trigger of “dissociation” is facing oneʼs reality, while “association” is understood as adaptation to oneʼs reality; and 4) “a/di-ssociation” is not only a physiological phenomenon but also has its own comprehensive view that calls for “temps de latence.”

　Thus, this paperʼs main aim is to understand the concept of “dissociation,” which not only refers to a psychiatric phenomenon but is also seen as a simple and basic phenomenon in the understanding of human beings. While this idea was a feature of French psychology, it was also a fundamental part of Decrolyʼs thoughts. However, it will be necessary to carry out further research into Decrolyʼs educational thoughts, with particular focus on the contexts in French psychology and philosophy in those days.