Freshly Printed - allow 7 days lead
Couldn't load pickup availability
Popular Democracy in Japan
How Gender and Community Are Changing Modern Electoral Politics
Sherry L. Martin (Author)
9780801449178
Hardback, published 15 March 2011
208 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.454 kg
Equipped with... powerful tools, this study sheds light on how political activism quietly developed through grassroots 'women-centric networks,' which have not necessarily been well examined in political science... the author's effort was devoted to capturing a good snapshot of local activism among women that is changing Japanese politics, which I believe was successful. There is much that I admire about this book: Martin's decision to make humble, ordinary women the point of departure for trying to figure out where a democratic resurgence is coming from in Japan; her ability to use a variety of sources, ranging from election survey data, interviews with government officials, and close knowledge of work done on grass-roots political organizing and women's groups to her focus group discussions; her interest in trying to figure out how group interactions change people from being passive subjects to agents ready to participate in politics.... She uses unconventional approaches and makes feminist arguments for how group interaction helps ordinary Japanese women become active and independent citizens, and in doing so she helps us understand where electoral change in Japan is coming from. By regendering our view of the average Japanese voter, Martin has taken an arresting and thought-provoking perspective. The analysis of focus group discussions and of local efforts to change politics is revealing of how local democracy works, and anyone wanting a close look into the minds and actions of civically engaged women in Japan should definitely read this book.
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.
Introduction: Why Don't They Stay Home?
1. The Political Distance between Citizens and Elites
2. New Styles of Political Leadership and Community Mobilization
3. National Attitudes and Local Action: Changing the Center from the Periphery
4. Politically Excluded "Commoners": A Gendered Pathway to Participation
5. Gender and "Communities of Practice": Escaping the Regulatory Boundaries of Formal Education
Conclusion: Engendering Knowledge and Political ActionReferences
Index