ABSTRACT
Consensus and homogeneity are not the only features of Japanese society to receive attention. Numerous accounts of conflict and brutality also exist. Indeed, as the authors have been reminded by historians, the social history of Japan is largely a history of conflict.[1] From the peasant uprisings during the Tokugawa period to the anti-pollution movements of the seventies, popular demonstrations against the authorities or the establishment are well documented. This chapter introduces some literature emphasizing conflict in Japanese society. The discussion begins with some information on the tradition of conflict-oriented scholarship in Japan, and concludes with a summary of some major themes common to the literature emphasizing conflict.
