In this thesis, I aim to answer the question “how did Japanese teachers themselves view the state of postwar education during the American Occupation?”. In chapter 1, a brief overview will be given...Show moreIn this thesis, I aim to answer the question “how did Japanese teachers themselves view the state of postwar education during the American Occupation?”. In chapter 1, a brief overview will be given of the state of education and the educational reforms during the American Occupation. In chapter 2, the scholarly debate on the issues surrounding Japanese education in the Occupation period (1945-1952) will be described and analysed, as well as the scholarly debate on the views of the Japanese people on defeat and war responsibility in the direct postwar period. In chapter 3, three examples of the realities faced by teachers in Japan during the American Occupation are explored on the basis of two published diaries and one published memoir:“ How did teachers deal with defeat? Days of anguish and fumbling around - Two-year education diary (Kyōshi wa haisen dō mukaeta no ka: Kunō to mosaku no hibi― 2-Nenkan no kyōiku nisshi)” by Nagai Kenji and “War and love: a female teacher’s war and postwar diary (Ikusa to ai to: Josei kyōshi no senchū sengo nikki)” by Kobayashi Hana and Reminiscences of an Elementary School Principal (Aru shōgakkō-chō no kaisō) by Kanazawa Kaichi. The experiences of these teachers will be analysed in the broader context of the postwar education in order to get a better understanding of the “bottom-up” processes they participated in. I argue that viewing postwar education from a “bottom-up” perspective brings to light new insights on the educational reforms and their implementation, and the on experiences of teachers as under the American OccupationShow less
Comparative analyses of ethnic minority policies in Manchukuo and the Soviet Union during the inter war years. Rather than "ideas", it was mostly the need of the indigenous population for the...Show moreComparative analyses of ethnic minority policies in Manchukuo and the Soviet Union during the inter war years. Rather than "ideas", it was mostly the need of the indigenous population for the establishment of hegemony as well as domestic and international crisis that drove ethnic minority policies.Show less
Though the history of Japanese railway companies share similarities with those found for example in the Netherlands and Belgium, there are differences. I argue that these differences facilitated...Show moreThough the history of Japanese railway companies share similarities with those found for example in the Netherlands and Belgium, there are differences. I argue that these differences facilitated the control of private railway companies in Japan. Furthermore, Japanese railway companies expand on their service by undertaking various side businesses such as department stores, being active in real estate, and so on. Because of this difference in activities, I argue that their impact on the development of railway stations as a public space has been greater than those found in Europe. Even though it can be argued that space is political, space itself is shaped by historical and natural elements. Thus, to understand how Japanese railway companies have influenced public space, it is important to look at its historical component. I will first discuss space and social theory and use this as a starting point for my theoretical framework, allowing for an insight into how spaces are defined and how they influence social interaction. After discussing general theory on space, I will discuss space within an urban setting in order to demonstrate how different aspects of theory on space come into play. I will delve into how urban environments like cities are divided but also how on the other hand these are connected with each other. Within the established framework, I will then focus on two railway stations, Ikebukuro Station and Tokyo Station, to demonstrate that even though they are both a public space they differ in their representation of a public spaceShow less
