近代日本の文化と社会

This course aims to provide students with a survey of Japanese society and culture in the years between the end ofthe Russo-Japanese War (1905) and the Mukden Incident (1931), often referred to with the term "Taisho Democracy." As this period was marked by social and political trends that anticipated the post-World War II democratized regime, it is hoped that the survey will afford a better understanding of contemporary Japan and its people.

The period saw a rapid growth and structural transformation of Japan's economy amidst a disorderly world situation. The major economic change drew people from rural areas to cities, developing the new middle "salaryman" class and its highly Westernized consumer culture; on the other hand, the change led to regional disparities and class distinctions, which in turn created social unrest and cultural divisions on a national scale.

This course will explore a wide range of texts taken from such fields as socio-political history, literature, cultural criticism, art history, popular culture, etc., in order to understand the cultural complexity of the era.