conflicting Japanese interpretations of the outcaste problem (buraku mondai)

Abstract

Everywhere in the modern world, traditional ideologies are being challenged by a new one, Marxian socialism. This paper seeks to understand the nature and significance of this ideological conflict by examining two opposing Japanese views on a major Japanese social problem, the social discrimination against outcastes (burakumin). The conflicting views of the Japanese government and the Marxist‐oriented Outcaste Problem Research Institute (Buraku Mondai Kenkyujo) are presented and related to the class structure of contemporary Japan. The implications of the analysis for contemporary anthropology are discussed.