Deviance and inequality in Japan : Japanese youth and foreign migrants /

Based on 30 years of fieldwork and analysis of popular media over four different time periods, this study of deviance and inequality in Japan challenges the conventional nihonjinron perspective of Japan as a harmonious, egalitarian, and conformist society. Yoder (Lakeland College, Tokyo) builds upon the foundational work of Ellis Krauss (ed.) et al. (Conflict in Japan, 1984) and David Ambaras (Bad Youth, CH, Nov'06, 44-1685), but utilizes conflict-labeling theory to effectively demonstrate the link between inequality and deviance for two powerless subordinate subcultural groups: Japanese youth and foreign immigrants. In five concise well-referenced chapters and two appendixes, Yoder argues that inequality is central to understanding the limited opportunities and rights available to these group members to realize their life goals. The ascribed subordinate status of Japanese youth, particularly working-class youths, and foreign immigrants limits full participation in Japanese society, contributes to their blocked social mobility, and subjects them to increased social controls, which, consequently, contribute to their higher levels of deviant behavior. The section on the experiences of foreign baseball players seems somewhat anomalous, but is interesting nonetheless. A useful contribution to the fields of deviance, juvenile delinquency, and social inequality. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. G. B. Osborne University of Alberta