Family and Social Policy in Japan: Anthropological Approaches

by Roger Goodman (Editor)

Overview

Social policies reflect important ideas about the relationship between the state and the individual. This book examines this relationship in a number of unexplored areas in Japanese society, including policies relating to fertility, perinatal care, child care, sexuality and elder care. It concludes that a major transformation occurred during the 1990s as a result of Japan's changing economy, demography and civil society. The volume challenges many Western preconceptions about Japanese society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521815710
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/26/2002
Series:	Contemporary Japanese Society
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Roger Goodman is lecturer in the social anthropology of Japan at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies and the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford. His publications include Children of the Japanese State: The Changing Role of Child Protection Institutions in Contemporary Japan (2000) and The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State (1998).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: anthropology, policy and the study of Japan Roger Goodman; 2. Toward a cultural biography of civil society in Japan Victoria Lynn Bestor; 3. Pinning hopes on angels: reflections from an aging Japan's urban landscape Glenda Roberts; 4. Reproducing identity: maternal and child health care for foreigners in Japan Setsuko Lee and Carolyn Stevens; 5. State, standardization and 'normal' children: an anthropological study of a preschool Eyal Ben-Ari; 6. Child abuse in Japan: 'discovery' and the development of policy Roger Goodman; 7. Touching of the hearts: an overview of programs to promote interaction between the generations in Japan Leng Leng Thang; 8. Death policies in Japan: the state, the family and the individual Yohko Tsuji; 9. Embodiment, citizenship and social policy in contemporary Japan Vera Mackie.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"From birth to death, from civil society to citizenship, these essays provide fascinating insights into Japanese life, culture and social policy. The claim that anthropologists can make useful contributions to understanding the relationship of state policies and citizens' lives is well demonstrated." Pacific Affairs

Editorial Reviews

"From birth to death, from civil society to citizenship, these essays provide fascinating insights into Japanese life, culture and social policy. The claim that anthropologists can make useful contributions to understanding the relationship of state policies and citizens' lives is well demonstrated." Pacific Affairs

From the Publisher