Stratification in Cultural Contexts is a collection drawn from research results of the East Asian Division of the Center for the Study of Social Stratification and Inequality at Tohoku University. In this book, scholars who specialize in areas of East and Southeast Asia examine how the problem of stratification manifests itself in different cultural and historical contexts, discussing when and in what circumstances the problem of stratification has become more serious, and suggesting how the tension could be eased. The topics dealt with are diversified, from religion to economic concerns. The local wisdom of traditional societies is used to analyze inequality and stratification in cases such as the phenomenon of 'religious revival' following democratization in Mongolian society, the lives of 'slaves' under the Choson dynasty in Korea, and the role of warrior-class women in early-modern Japan. This volume provides a strong step on the way to further studies of stratification and inequality in cultural contexts.

About Editors and Authors

KIMURA Toshiaki is Professor in the Graduate School in the Faculty of Arts and Letters at Tohoku University. After graduating from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University, he went on to earn a PhD in Literature from the same university. He previously served as Lecturer at Hirosaki University and as Visiting Researcher at the Harvard-Yenching Institute. His research fields include religious studies and religious anthropology. He has published many papers, especially on Indonesian society and religion, and his research interests include disaster and religion and ritual transformation.