In just 150 years Japan has developed from an isolated, primarily rural society to the technologically advanced, industrially powerful, and urbanized nation of today. In this course we will look at the economic, social, and cultural features in Japan's history which underpin this striking change and the social and cultural costs which have accompanied it. Throughout we will consider the lives of women and ordinary citizens as well as those who became economically and politically powerful. Our texts will include historical writings of western and Japanese scholars, oral remembrances, biography, and fiction.
