Dansei Konenki: Narratives of Male Menopause in Contemporary Japan

Previous research has focused on cross-cultural comparisons of illnesses, such as depression and senile dementia, though few have studied the actual processes by which these illness categories become separated from their roots and adopted in a different locale; in anthropological terms, their "...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMcGill journal of medicine Vol. 7; no. 2
Main Author Sakai, Tomoko
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published McGill University 01.12.2020
Subjects
anthropology
japan
male menopause
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Summary:Previous research has focused on cross-cultural comparisons of illnesses, such as depression and senile dementia, though few have studied the actual processes by which these illness categories become separated from their roots and adopted in a different locale; in anthropological terms, their "indigenization." Through anthropological fieldwork conducted from June to September of 2003, this paper explores how dansei konenki, or male menopause, has found a niche in contemporary Japan, as well as the defining features of the country that may explain this phenomenon. Based on this research, I argue that the indigenization of dansei konenki embodies a particular socio- historical moment in Japan-namely, that of the long-running economic decline in recent years.
ISSN:1715-8125
1715-8125
DOI:10.26443/mjm.v7i2.787