Synopses & Reviews
In the Japanese language the word ie denotes both the materiality of homes and family relations within. The traditional family and family house - often portrayed in ideal terms as key foundations of Japanese culture and society - have been subject to significant changes in recent years. This book comprehensively addresses various aspects of family life and dwelling spaces, exploring how homes, household patterns and kin relations are reacting to contemporary social, economic and urban transformations, and the degree to which traditional patterns of both houses and households are changing.
The book contextualises the shift from the hegemonic post-war image of standard family life, to the nuclear family and to a situation now where Japanese homes are more likely to include unmarried singles; childless couples; divorcees; unmarried adult children and elderly relatives either living alone or in nursing homes. It discusses how these new patterns are both reinforcing and challenging typical understandings of Japanese family life.
Synopsis
The traditional family and family house, often portrayed in ideal terms as key foundations of Japanese society, have been subject to significant changes in recent years. This book explores the degree to which traditional patterns of both houses and households are changing. It examines the social, economic and urban changes which are causing these changes, discusses the shift from the stem family to the nuclear family and to a situation where there are large numbers of single person and childless couple households, and elderly people living in nursing homes, and explores new patterns in family relationships. It also discusses new rhetoric about the family, and new concepts of self and family role fulfilment.