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)

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。