Paper short abstract:

This presentation is intended to reconsider the assumptions concerning Modernity in terms of the experience of Japanese society. It aims at showing a perspective for analyzing contemporary globalisation based on Japanese Studies.

Paper long abstract:

In order to understanding contemporary globalisation, I start from a reconsideration of how to position the experience of modern Japan. Though there are many variations of modern social changes, I mainly focus on the two probably most prominent methods of looking at them: the endogenous development theory and the exogenous development theory. The two theories do not perceive the two forms of social change as equal. Purely endogenous development is seen as the normal form of social change, while exogenous development, wherein the purity of a society is lost due to exogenous factors, is perceived as a more deviant form, inferior to endogenous change. This view that puts greater value on endogenous development has been cherished by social theorists for quite a long time. Modernisation theory is a typical example of a theory stressing endogenous development.

Contrary to the assumptions of the modernisation theory, Kōtō Yōsuke points out that the transfer of modernity is not a subordinate phenomenon and proposed to call such exogenous development "hybrid modernity." (Kōtō 2011; Utsumi 2018). Kōtō analyses the experience of Japanese society as a typical case of hybrid modernity and he calls the transferable units of modernity "modules." Furthermore, Kōtō links his theory of hybrid modernity to the globalisation theory. According to his view, modernity is being exported all over the world and globalisation is the term coined to refer to this very process - only characterised by highly increased speed and scale. Globalisation is, thus, the process whereby hybrid modernity is promoted on a worldwide scale.Taking over this perspective, I analyse the transformation of post-war Japanese society, especially modularisation of social structure, and point out the world-wide penetration of modularisation of the social structure under contemporary globalisation. For understanding the worldwide penetration of modularisation of social structure, I think that Jerry Z. Muller's The Tyranny of Metrics is useful. (Muller 2018). The elucidation of the problems associated with the modularization of social structure is a research issue that has just started and I believe that the research on the experience of Japanese society will be very useful to understand contemporary globalisation.