The Happy Youth of a Desperate Country

Young people in present-day Japan, a socially-polarized society, have been reportedly "unhappy." According to statistics, however, 80 percent of them are currently "satisfied" with life. By drawing attention to this very fact, The Happy Youth of a Desperate Country, a magnum opus by acclaimed sociologist Noritoshi Furuichi, has revolutionized the discourse on youth theory in Japan. Containing more than six hundred footnotes, this work offers a probing examination of the portrait of "young people" and serves as the definitive edition for anyone seeking to attain a wide-ranging grasp of Japan and its "young people," from a defining voice of their generation.

FURUICHI Noritoshi
Noritoshi Furuichi was born in 1985 in Tokyo. He is a sociologist and a senior researcher at the Keio Research Institute at Shonan Fujisawa Campus. While still enrolled at The University of Tokyo, where he was as studying in a Ph.D. program, he drew much attention with the publication of Zetsubō no kuni no kōfuku na wakamono-tachi (The Happy Youth of a Desperate Country; Kodansha, 2011). A recipient of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Ikushi Prize, he is also active in a wide variety of fields, including TV shows, in which he makes a ppearances as an emcee and commentator; in the field of publishing; and in politics as a member of a committee of experts at governmental conferences.

*information as of time of publication

Japan Library series
Social Science

Publisher:
Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture

Hardcover
¥3,600 + tax
ISBN 9784916055835
220 mm x 148 mm / 294 pp. / March 2017

Softcover
ISBN 9784866582467

eBook
ISBN 9784866580111 (ePub)
ISBN 9784916055989 (PDF)

CONTENTS
Translator's Note
Preface to the English Edition
Introduction
1. The Rise and Fall of “Young People”
2. The Restless Young
3. The “Collapse” of “Japan”?
4. The Youths Who Stand Up for Japan
5. The Great East Japan Earthquake and the Young People Who Met Expectations
6. The Happy Youth of a Desperate Country
Supplementary Chapter: A Conversation with Takeru Satō
Afterword
Afterword to the English Edition
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments for the English Edition

格差社会のもと、その「不幸」が報じられていた若者たち。しかし、統計によれば８割の若者が現在の生活に「満足」している。その指摘で若者論を一新した古市憲寿の代表作に、新たに約200の脚注を追加。26歳の古市憲寿が描いた「若者」像を、30歳になった著者自身が「答え合わせ」。さらに未来のために各章に追記を加えた、この国と「若者」のすべてがわかる決定版。

古市憲寿
1985年東京都生まれ。東京大学大学院博士課程在籍。慶應義塾大学SFC研究所訪問研究員(上席)。株式会社ぽえち代表取締役。専攻は社会学。
若者の生態を的確に描出し、クールに擁護した著書『絶望の国の幸福な若者たち』(講談社)で注目される。大学院で若年起業家についての研究を進めるかたわら、マーケティングやIT戦略立案、執筆活動、メディア出演など、精力的に活動する。著書に、『誰も戦争を教えられない』（講談社+α文庫）、『保育園義務教育化』(小学館)、『だから日本はズレている』(新潮新書)、『希望難民ご一行様』(光文社新書)などがある。

＊著者略歴は書籍刊行時のものを表示しています。