We are now at the beginning of the 21st century and I think it is time to look at the 20th century from a somewhat more detached point of view. Although the so-called 'Post-War- Period' has been declared as coming to an end for several times during the last decades, most people are still thinking in the categories of 'pre-war' and 'post-war' (senzen - sengo), thus dividing the century in two clear - cut parts. The defeat in the Second World War in 1945 therefore seems to be a complete end and new beginning in every respect, marking a turning-point of discontinuity in the development of modern Japan. I think that this notion should be reconsidered carefully. Of course nobody will doubt that e.g. the constitution, the political institutions, the family structure, the position of women etc. have changed dramatically after 1945. But is that true also for the cultural developments? Most of the literary and cultural movements are severely restricted or cut short in the thirties and cultural movements are severely restricted or cut short in the thirties and during the war. The authors are jailed or forced to adapt themselves or they stop their writing and publishing activities and are retiring to some kind of mental exile. But after the war they are reappearing very quickly, continuing their work at the point where they had to stop it. Certainly, for some authors the ideology and the war led to a personal set-back and disaster from where they did not recover. But on the whole, the decade between 1935-1945 could be seen just as some kind of all continuity of cultural development. This would mean: Social and political discontinuity in sharp contrast with cultural continuity. It seems to me that we should think about this kind of problems. As for the period of investigation it should be limited somehow (although not too strictly) to the 50 years from 1920 to 1970, beginning with the many innovations after World War I. Literature, with emphasis also on poetry and dramatical writing, will be at the center of research. But other fields as theatre, film, arts, music, life-styles etc., always in a broad social context, should also be included. The aim of this research project would be to arrive at a panoramic view of the half-century between 1920 and 1970 through an interdisciplinary approach and to contribute to a more accurate and perhaps in some respect corrected notion this period of Japanese history.

代表者	クロップェンシュタイン・エドゥアルド	国際日本文化研究センター・外国人研究員
Organizer	鈴木　貞美	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
Team Researcher	阿毛　久芳	都留文科大学文学部・教授
〃	小田川大典	岡山大学法学部・助教授
〃	小田川理絵	佛教大学・非常勤講師
〃	黒古　一夫	筑波大学図書館情報専門学群・教授
〃	島村　　輝	女子美術大学・教授（相模原）
〃	種田和加子	藤女子大学文学部・教授
〃	坪井　秀人	名古屋大学情報文化学部・教授
〃	十重田裕一	早稲田大学文学部・助教授
〃	中川　成美	立命館大学文学部・教授
〃	長谷川　啓	城西大学女子短期大学部・教授
〃	林　　洋子	京都造形芸術大学芸術学部・助教授
〃	渡辺　知也	大阪女子大学人文社会学部・教授
〃	稲賀　繁美	国際日本文化研究センター・助教授
〃	劉　　建輝	国際日本文化研究センター・助教授
〃	白石　さや	東京大学大学院教育学研究科　　国際日本文化研究センター・教授 客員教授
〃	孫　才喜	国際日本文化研究センター・非常勤研究員