Citation

Shibuya T. J. Educ. Sociol. (Tokyo) 1999; 65: 25-47.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Japan Society of Educational Sociology)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

This paper shows the images of youth sexualities in mid-last-Meiji period and examines the way in which sexualities of youth was discussed as problematic by society and the reactions of youth to the problematization. To do this, I examined articles about Gakusei-Fuki Problem in Kyoiku-Jiron published in Meiji period. The perspective of social-constructionism approach developed by Kitsuse and Spector was employed in this study. The questions I asked here were : (1) what sexual behaviors were considered problematic?; (2) what rhetoric was used to make them problematic?; and (3) what reactions were arisen. In these problem areas, I also examined the countermeasures taken by educators and administration, the counter discourse and the behaviors of students. The following are the findings of this study. (1) Male students : buying prostitute, sexual violence against younger boys (including gay sexual behaviors), women or girls and having a date with female students were considered sexually delinquent. Female students; prostituting, becoming a mistress and having a date with male students were thought to be sexually improper. (3) In most articles, these sexual behaviors were problematized without providing reasons. Simultaneously, the authors immediately concluded that sexual behavior of youth must be controlled with vigor. (3) Educators thought that bad manners ubiquitously seen in Japan were the factors of youth's problematic behaviors and suggested that students should be strictly supervised. These arguments were realized as the purity of environment around students and the supervision of youth by administrators and educators. Contrary to these movements, however, heated problematizations on sexual behaviors of youth caused some counter discourses. They also led student's movement of self government.

Language: ja