Japanese Sociology and its Global Connections

The contributions of Japanese sociology to global sociological discussions are multifaceted, making them challenging to assess comprehensively in a brief article. The contributions take many forms at different scales, times, and places – for example, Chizuko Ueno’s work in China has been highly influential – and there is no clear consensus on how to evaluate them. Indeed, assessments vary greatly according to the evaluator’s perspective. The aim of this piece is not, therefore, to evaluate all the contributions, but to highlight the efforts made by the Japan Sociological Society (JSS) and its members to connect with and contribute to sociological discussions worldwide, fostering what Geoffrey Pleyers calls a “renewed global dialogue.”

From “Western centrism” to attempts at “internationalization”

The development of Japanese sociology, the history of which can be traced back to the 1880s, was marked from the outset by its Eurocentrism, as Shigeto Sonoda points out. Most sociological inquiries at that time were heavily concentrated on the acceptance, introduction, and digestion of Western sociological theories. Yet within the JSS, founded in 1924, voices were raised early on calling for greater connections with global sociology. As Seiyama mentions, the JSS was one of the first eight national sociological associations and joined the International Sociological Association (ISA) when it issued an appeal in 1950, a year after its foundation. Representing the JSS, Kunio Odaka attended the first ISA Congress and the collective National Survey of Social Stratification and Social Mobility (SSM) works he presented were subsequently referred to by Lipset and Bendix in 1959.

Several JSS members continued to engage with the ISA, including Yoshimichi Sato, who joined its Executive Committee (2010-14). Hasegawa’s account shows us that these efforts culminated in the successful organization of the XVIII ISA Congress in Yokohama in July 2014, which attracted over 6,000 participants. It should be noted that this path towards internationalization followed by key JSS actors is clearly distinct from the Japanese government’s nation-state model of internationalization, which aims to improve international rankings. As Shujiro Yazawa noted in 2011, when interviewed by Michael Burawoy in Global Dialogue, true internationalization of sociology involves creating a global sociology situated within a global or planetary society beyond the nation-state framework.

Focus on East Asian sociology

Significant efforts have been made at the regional level as well. As Sonoda notes, several associations – including the Japan-China Sociological Association – have been founded since the 1980s, with Japanese sociologists increasingly participating in broader Asian sociological networks such as the Asia Pacific Sociological Association (founded in 1996) and the Asian Social Research Association (founded in 2010). Moreover, international research programs conducted within national university sociology departments have played a major role in strengthening cooperation with other Asian sociologists. Notable examples include programs led by Emiko Ochiai at Kyoto University and Yoshimichi Sato at Tohoku University.

The institutionalization of these initiatives is also taking shape. The East Asian Sociologists Conference, which began in 2003, resulted in the founding of the East Asian Sociological Association in October 2017 – its first congress was held in March 2019 at Chuo University in Tokyo. These East Asian sociological exchanges have given rise to numerous publications, such as A Quest for East Asian Sociologies (2014) and Handbook of Post-Western Sociology: From East Asia to Europe (2023). These initiatives aim to contribute to a global sociology that corresponds to “a non-hegemonic world sociology.”

New initiatives and challenges for the JSS

The JSS has launched several initiatives to connect discussions at a global level: the creation of the International Journal of Japanese Sociology in 1992; joint panels based on exchange agreements with South Korea (since 2007), China (since 2011), and Taiwan (since 2015); as well as the establishment of the official blog in 2023 to present Japanese sociology in English. Another notable initiative is the Travel Award (formerly the Travel Grant, created in 2008), which rewards young researchers from around the world who wish to present their research at the JSS Annual Meeting on a specific theme: “COVID-19 and Society” at the 2022 edition, and “Transnationalism in Context of Crises” at the 2023 edition.

For the 2024 edition, taking advantage of Geoffrey Pleyers’ participation in the JSS Annual Meeting on November 9 and 10, the Travel Award theme is “Decentering Global Sociology.” This has attracted a record number of candidates for the Travel Award. While significant progress has been made in dialogues with East Asian countries, exchanges with the Global South and its epistemologies – such as decolonial or subaltern perspectives – remain relatively underdeveloped. For the JSS and its members, the 2024 edition of the Annual Meeting presents a vital opportunity to engage fully in global dialogue and contribute to global sociology in tune with our times.

Chikako Mori, Doshisha University, Japan <cmori@mail.doshisha.ac.jp>