Popular democracy in Japan : how gender and community are changing modern electoral politics / Sherry L. Martin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Martin, Sherry L., 1971-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Japan.

Democracy.

Political participation--Japan.

Political participation.

Political culture--Japan.

Political culture.

Women--Political activity--Japan.

Women.

Community power--Japan.

Community power.

Japan--Politics and government--21st century.

Japan.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (207 p.)

Place of Publication:

Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Popular Democracy in Japan examines a puzzle in Japanese politics: Why do Japanese women turn out to vote at rates higher than men? On the basis of in-depth fieldwork in various parts of the country, Sherry L. Martin argues that the exclusion of women from a full range of opportunities in public life provokes many of them to seek alternative outlets for self-expression. They have options that include a wide variety of study, hobby, and lifelong learning groups-a feature of Japanese civic life that the Ministry of Education encourages.Women who participate in these alternative spaces for learning tend, Martin finds, to examine the political conditions that have pushed them there. Her research suggests that study group participation increases women's confidence in using various types of political participation (including voting) to pressure political elites for a more inclusive form of democracy. Considerable overlap between the narratives that emerge from women's groups and a survey of national public opinion identifies these groups as crucial sites for crafting and circulating public discourses about politics. Martin shows how the interplay between public opinion and institutional change has given rise to bottom-up changes in electoral politics that culminated in the 2009 Democratic Party of Japan victory in the House of Representatives election.

Contents:

Introduction : why don't they stay home?

The political distance between citizens and elites

New styles of political leadership and community mobilization

National attitudes and local action : changing the center from the periphery

Politically excluded "commoners" : a gendered pathway to participation

Gender and "communities of practice" : escaping the regulatory boundaries of formal education

Conclusion : engendering knowledge and political action.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9780801461309

0801461308

9780801460821

0801460824

OCLC:

728082248