Sheldon Garon

Rethinking Modernization and Modernity in Japanese History: A Focus on State-Society Relations

T here was a time, not so long ago , when the primary fault line in American studies of Japan lay not between “Japan-bashers” and “Japanapologists,” but between those who presented the history of Japan in terms of an ongoing process of modernization and those who did not. During the 1970s, younger scholars of Japan attacked modernization theory with considerable passion (see Dower 1975), eliciting rather defensive responses from its practitioners. The 1980s saw the emergence of yet another, though somewhat smaller, generation of American scholars, which has been not so much anti-modernizationist as non-modernizationist. Like the critics of the 1970s, historians of this newest generation have dealt with conflict, social problems, and state repression, but most no longer believe it necessary to discuss the problems raised by modernization theory.

The conscription society : administered mass organizations

Using comparative history and organization theory, this text analyzes the politics of conscription in military and single-party regimes. It discusses the origins of administered mass organizations, civilian bodies created by authoritarian regimes, in countries such as Japan and Fascist Italy.

State and family in modern Japan: a historical perspective

Abstract Japanese often present their ‘family system’ as a timeless national tradition. Instead this article examines changes in Japanese family structure from the late nineteenth century to recent years, focusing on interrelationships between the Japanese managerial state and family. Specifically it charts (1) the states role in establishing the household as the primary site of welfare provision and (2) the gradual shift from the patriarchal household to a family system centred on the woman as household manager and mother. The development of the woman-centred family occurred in dialogue between urban women activists and the state, which increasingly perceived the advantages of mobilizing married women to raise healthy children, organize neighbourhoods, care for the familys elderly and take responsibility for saving the familys money.

Transnational History and Japan's "Comparative Advantage"

The growing field of transnational or global history spotlights connections among nations and empires. This essay suggests ways in which historians of modern Japan might contribute to transnational history, taking advantage of their Japanese subjects’ determined emulation of ideas and practices in other nations. Thinking transnationally about Japan not only challenges myths of Japanese exceptionalism but also enriches transnational history by going beyond Euro-centric and U.S.-centered accounts to illuminate global currents. To demonstrate the potential benefits, I draw on several transnational studies of Japan as well as my own global history of saving money and current research on the “transnational home front.”