Takayoshi Matsuo and Taisho Democracy Studies

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  • 松尾尊兊と大正デモクラシー研究
  • マツオソンダ ト タイショウ デモクラシー ケンキュウ

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This article explores the trajectory and academic formation of Matsuo Takayoshi, a leading historian of post-war Japanese history and known for his work on Taisho Democracy, from his birth in the late 1920s to the 1970s, when he published his main book, “Taisho Democracy”, and then analyzes the concept of “Taisho Democracy”. This article is composed of ten chapters : chapters 1 and 2 describe the academic environment in which Matsuo began his career as a historian, from his birth to his appointment as a research assistant at Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University ; chapters 3 and 4 describe the academic environment in which he began his career as a historian ; and from chapter 5 onward, the academic and social context in which he began his study of Taisho Democracy. Matsuo then describes the linkage between liberalism, socialism, and Kokuminshugi (nationalism) that characterized his research the position of Taisho Democracy studies through his critique of Modernization Theory, the development of Taisho Democracy studies through the presentation of “Radical Liberalism”, and the publication of “Taisho Democracy”, which is the culmination of his research. The academic significance was clarified for each of them. The significance of this article can be summarized in the following three points : 1) This article focuses on Matsuoʼs role in postwar history and Postwar Historiography. 2)This article calls for a reconsideration of Matsuoʼs study of Taisho Democracy by looking at the political background and its relation to the historiography of the same era. 3) Matsuoʼs study of Taisho democracy did not only criticize war and fascism, but also examined the problems in the resistance and reformation movements that criticized them, revealing that the Taisho Democracy research found a place in history where ideas and movements were allied (where subjects could relativize their inner leadership) and tried to establish individual “freedom” from that place.

Journal

  • 人文學報

    人文學報 117 27-68, 2021-05-31

    THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES, KYOTO UNIVERSITY

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