New Books from Japan #3: "Desire for Stability: A Cultural History of the Salaryman in Modern Japan"

New Books from Japan #3

『〈サラリーマン〉の文化史 　 あるいは「家族」と「安定」の近現代史』

Desire for Stability: A Cultural History of the Salaryman in Modern Japan　

Presenter: 鈴木貴宇 (Suzuki Takane, Toho University)

Discussant: Irena Hayter (University of Leeds)

The figure of the "salaryman" emerged in tandem with the rise of Western-style corporations and civil organizations that accompanied Japan's modernization and industrialization starting from the Meiji Restoration. What factors fueled the spread of this type of white collar office work? When did the term "salaryman", nowadays a stereotyped image of a run-of-the-mill office worker, first become widespread in Japanese society? By what historical processes did the salaryman come to be seen as a symbol of social stability and ordinary family life? How has the salaryman been depicted in Japanese culture across different eras, including literature, movies, comics, and materials produced by labor unions? By examining a wide variety of historical materials, this book elucidates how the image of the salaryman evolved over time and how this group of ordinary office workers came to be lionized and celebrated as the backbone of Japan's "universal middle class" society.

明治維新から西欧にならって殖産興業を急ぎ、新しい組織＝株式会社が次々にできたことで生まれたサラリーマンはどのように「成長」してきたのか。現在では「ありふれた一般人」の総称とされるサラリーマンは、いつ社会に登場したのか。また、サラリーマン層を「安定」の表象とする社会意識の浸透には、どのような歴史的・社会的背景があるのか。各時代の文学作品や漫画、映画、労働組合の文化活動はサラリーマンをどのように描いてきたのか。史・資料を精読し、小市民・インテリと称された「ありふれた一般人」の集合体が一億総中流の象徴として「安定と平凡な家庭生活」を求めた実態を分析する労作。