The Contribution to Family Sociology in Japan of Historical and Structural Studies on the Family

要旨

There had been a historical and structual interest in family studies in Japan. As family sociology became institutionalized since the 1960s and 1970s, however, family studies shifted to take a micro-scopic view. Family scholars had to do so, in a sense, because of the rapid social change and its negative effects on the family in those days. Family studies transformed itself in order to study the family more effectively. On the other hand, the transformation caused family studies to become less historical and less interdisciplinary.Since the 1980s, the development in family history and historical demography which began in Europe in the 1960s stimulated Japanese family scholars. They have been working to interpret the 'traditional family' in Japan from the new perspective which they learned from the Western scholars. Some of these studies are comparative and fruitful enough to contribute to international academia.This field of family studies has been methodologically challenging to family sociology as a whole. I believe it has contributed, and will contribute to family sociology in Japan in the fields of the research and education.

主題