History and sociology of family and kinship

Author: Katsuyuki Fujiwara, Zhongtao Wang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Since its establishment in 1985, the Beijing Center for Japanese Studies has been committed to graduate education while, as a research institution, placing greater emphasis on promoting the development of Japanese studies. The "Translation Series" published this time is one of the fruits of this effort. The Social Research Room of the Center has been engaged in the study of Japanese society and has continuously tracked the development of sociology in Japan. In this process, it was considered highly significant academically and culturally to translate representative works in this field from Japan into Chinese. Therefore, the Center planned and prepared this "Translation Series of Famous Works in Japanese Sociology," consisting of 10 volumes. During the planning phase, a research team was organized around the members of the Social Research Room, extensive discussions were held with scholars from China and Japan, and suitable original works were selected, with appropriate translators commissioned.
In the past, while some works by Japanese scholars on modern Japanese society had been introduced, the number was very limited and lacked systematic organization. Given this situation, the research team focused on a wealth of new achievements while adhering to the fundamental principle and guidelines of building "Chinese Japanese studies." Ultimately, the translation series broadly includes the following three types of works: 1. Those belonging to general sociological theory. 2. Sociological theoretical analyses of Japanese society. 3. Works that use sociological methods to study the characteristics of modern Japanese society.
It is impossible for such selections to be entirely exhaustive, as the field of sociology spans from theory to current analysis, being extremely broad and multifaceted, with countless works worthy of reference. However, in adhering to the aforementioned principles, we firmly believe that the works selected—each related to modern Japanese social analysis and theoretical explorations in Japanese sociological studies—are all important documents and research materials.
With the advent of the era of globalization, mutual exchange and understanding between nations have become increasingly indispensable. China and Japan are also engaging in various exchanges of Japanese and Chinese perspectives. However, in China's academic and cultural circles, Japanese academic works are rarely utilized in their original form. From this perspective, as self-analyses and self-understandings of Japanese society by Japanese scholars, the publication of this research monograph series holds profound significance.
I sincerely hope that this translation series will not only be utilized by Japanese studies scholars and aspiring young students but also be embraced by China's academic and cultural circles, finding application in various forms and at different levels.