Embracing Decline?
- This event has passed.
October 20th, 2014 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EDT
Cost: FreeDetails »
Understanding the Dynamics of Aging, Depopulation and Well-Being in Rural Japan
A talk by Dr. Peter Matanle, University of Sheffield
Since at least the 1950s, rural Japan has been slowly but steadily aging and depopulating. Youth migration to urban areas and chronically low fertility have caused many communities to disappear and left many others on the verge of doing so. These ‘genkai shuraku’, or ‘marginal communities’ are increasing in number and size as Japan ages and depopulates, and urbanization processes continue.
This lecture will tell the story of those demographic changes and examine the consequences for Japan and other Asian countries. What are the impacts that this has on the quality of individual, family and community life? How do these rural communities deal with these changes? Professor Matanle argues that these changes offer Japan and other countries an opportunity to chart a new post-growth future.
About the Speaker:
Dr Peter Matanle is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies and Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Sheffield’s School of East Asian Studies. His research is focused on the social and cultural geography of East Asia. He has published widely on regional population and development in Japan, and the theory and practice of lifetime employment in Japanese organisations. A full list of downloadable publications and talks can be found at https://sheffield.academia.edu/PeterMatanle.
