Sociology and "Social Problems" in Prewar Japan, a Monograph on the History of Japanese Social Thought

FAIN: FO-50204-13

Louise Conrad Young
University of Wisconsin, Madison (Madison, WI 53715-1218)

The early twentieth century was a critical moment in the production of social knowledge in Japan as elsewhere. Scholars, government leaders, activists, and journalists created the core categories, institutional foundations, and circuits of production and exchange that would shape the study of society for decades to come. The rise of sociology closely tracked the emergence of "social problems" as a central political concern. Early concepts of "society" were linked to "social problems," and both became a code for fault lines in Japanese politics and society. My book project, Sociology and "Social Problems" in Prewar Japan, argues that interlinked intellectual and social developments within three sites of knowledge production—the academy, government bureaucracy, and social movements—profoundly shaped ideas about society and their political impact. Based on primary research conducted in Japan during 2010-11, this proposal seeks support for write-up of the book manuscript.