ibunka TB_U5

• Chie, N. (1970), Japanese Society ( 縦社会 ), Berkeley, CA: University of California Press Sociologist Nakane Chie describes Japanese society as a “vertical society,” in which one’s closest afYinity is with members of one’s organization. Members generally start at the bottom and work their way up through clearly- deYined ranks. By contrast, in “horizontal societies,” people feel closest to people of a similar social status (e.g. architects, accountants, steel workers), even if they belong to other groups or organizations. Clubs can be seen as one of the mechanisms of this cultural pattern. • Doi, T. (1973), The Anatomy of Dependence ( ⽢えの構造 ), Tokyo: Kodansha Psychologist Doi Takeo described the relationships between mother and child, and also the senior and junior members within a group (known in Japanese as senpai and kohai , respectively). Doi identiYied the key amae , an untranslatable Japanese word that conveys the relationship in which children or juniors depend on their seniors for care and indulgence. Seniors not only have authority over their juniors, but also the duty to take care of them. According to Doi, the interdependence at the core of amae is a universal emotion, but much more overtly expressed in Japanese society than in Western ones.

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UNIT 5 | CULTURAL COMMENTARY