HIS 295-04 - Special Topic: Modern Japan, 1868 to Present

4 credits (Fall)

As a child, Katayama Sen (1859-1933) experienced the dismantling of Japan’s samurai government, and the “restoration” of the emperor to power in 1868. By the time he traveled all the way to Grinnell College to study as a young man at the end of the nineteenth century, Japan had given up swords for guns, and it was already well on its way to becoming the most powerful nation in Asia. In 1922, he helped found the Communist Party in Japan, and though he died 11 years later, the party survived him. It continued on through Japan’s prosperous “economic miracle” in the post-war era, and it has remained active today in the midst of the “lost decades” of economic stagnation in the 1990’s and 2000’s. This course examines the experiences of ordinary people like Katayama, whose lives were deeply impacted by radical transformations in political behavior, social structures, and economic conditions. In particular, it will focus on relationships between the state and its citizens. Some of the topics covered will include yakuza, prostitution, law, business, and popular culture.

Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Mayo