Family and Social Policy in Japan Anthropological Approaches [Paperback]

This 2002 book is an in-depth study of the formation of social policy in a non-western society.Social policies reflect and construct important ideas in societies about the relationship between the state and the individual. This book examines this relationship in a number of hitherto unexplored areas in Jaspanese society including policies relating to fertility, peri-natal care, child care, sexuality and the care for the aged. The conclusion is that a major transformation has taken place in all these areas over the 1990s as a result of Japan's changing economy, dmeography and the development of civil society. The book challenges many western preconceptions about Japanese society.Social policies reflect and construct important ideas in societies about the relationship between the state and the individual. This book examines this relationship in a number of hitherto unexplored areas in Jaspanese society including policies relating to fertility, peri-natal care, child care, sexuality and the care for the aged. The conclusion is that a major transformation has taken place in all these areas over the 1990s as a result of Japan's changing economy, dmeography and the development of civil society. The book challenges many western preconceptions about Japanese society.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.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 l#¢