Aim of JARCS

As the nationwide organization for sociologists, the Japan Association of Regional and Community Studies aims to provide a unique set of services to its members to promote the regional and community studies in Japan from a sociological perspective.

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The Japan Association of Regional and Community Studies is

- a non-profit membership association
- 40 years old in 2015 (founded in 1975)
- an association of over 400+ members
- open to everyone interested in the regional and community studies from a sociological perspective
- host of an annual conference every spring and a few seminars a year
- publisher of a professional journal and a newsletter

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The Board of Trustees

President: Professor NISHIMURA Takeo
Director of general affairs: Professor SHIMIZU Ryo
Director of financial affairs: Professor MIURA Rinpei
Directors in charge of homepage: Professor SHIMIZU Ryo & OHORI Ken
Director in charge of research activities: Professor YABE Takuya
Director in charge of editing “Annals of regional and community studies”: Professor MATSUSONO Yuko
Director in charge of international exchange & ISA-RC21: Professor KURODA Yoshihiko
Director in charge of JARCS Award: Professor AJISAKA Manabu
Director in charge of Japan Consortium of Sociological Societies: Professor SHIMIZU Hiroyuki
Directors:
Professor AJISAKA Manabu
Professor IWANAGA Shinji
Professor URANO Masaki
Professor ONAI Junko
Professor KURODA Yoshihiko
Professor SAITO Yasunori
Professor SHIMIZU Hiroyuki
Professor SHIMIZU Ryo
Professor TANAKA Yukitaka
Professor NIKAIDO Yuko
Professor NISHIMURA Takeo
Professor HAYAMI Seiko
Professor FUJII Wasa
Professor FUNATO Shuichi
Professor MATSUSONO Yuko
Professor MATSUMIYA Ashita
Professor MIURA Rinpei
Professor MUROI Kenji
Professor YABE Takuya
Professor YAMAMOTO Kaoruko

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History of JARCS

The Japan Research Society of Regional and Community Studies, the predecessor of JARCS, had a preliminary meeting on March 17, 1975 with 41 members. The society was formally inaugurated in its first conference on April 24-25, 1976 with 119 members. It was formed around the following common concern in a particular social and historical context. Post-war Japanese society was undergoing drastic changes. On the one hand, rapid economic growth created various local social problems which prompted public policy measures. On the other hand, urban and community social movements and reformist local government had emerged. Against this backdrop, social scientists were expected to analyze real social problems and devise solutions. Because the problems were common in both urban and rural society, the framework of region and community was adopted to organize the Research Society, with these cutting across both urban and rural societies.

Back then many leading members of the Society were Marxist and came from a rural studies background. Though most Japanese urban sociologists followed the tradition of the Chicago School, Marxist-influenced community studies were developed in competitive/complementary relations with them. They adopted structural analysis as a main research framework, which was concerned by local (municipal) economic structures, social class and stratification, community organization, and political structures. Their focus was often on the relationship between structure and agency (in this case local social movements), particularly the way structure defines and reacts to agency, in the expectation of social reform in the local community. They conducted numerous empirical studies on urban problems, local problems, and local development policies such as the National Comprehensive Development Plan. The main case studies in the 1970s and 1980s were the study of local residential movements.

The Japan Research Society of Regional and Community Studies was re-named the Japan Association of Regional and Community Studies (JARCS) on April 22, 1984. In terms of its decision-making structure, the position of president and a board was created on May 21, 1994 and took over the responsibilities of the then steering committee. It was originally agreed that the presidency was an honorary position with no real power. The Society had been publishing its own journal, Annals of Regional and Community Studies, since 1979, but it became an annual publication starting from Volume 6 in 1994. Research seminars have been regularly held four times a year since 1984.

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Contact JARCS

Executive Office of JARCS c/o Professor SHIMIZU Hiroyuki
Department of Sociology, Division of Behavioral Sciences,
Faculty of Letters, Chiba University
1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba Prefecture
Japan 263-8522
Phone&Fax: +81- 43-290-2292
E-mail: jarcs.office@gmail.com