---

	Laboratory of Comparative Agricultural History
	Historical Studies of Modern Agricultural and Environmental Problems; Modern History Viewed from the Agrarian Perspective
	The purpose of this laboratory is to pursue historical studies in agriculture, farm management, food, and environment in both Japan and foreign countries. The agricultural world today shows strong regional diversity, based on the fact that each regional society has been formed as a result of complex working of many regional inherent factors. Therefore, we find a simple application of economics not sufficient to understand agricultural problems, which have an intimate relationship with the livelihood of rural residents. Locating the geopolitical place of the research area, we are now engaged in the studies on the agricultural, food, and environmental problems in Japan, East Asian and Europe from a comparative historical perspective, which is an effective method of recognizing the regional characteristics. Rethinking from the agrarian perspective has a great potential to develop a new part of the historical understanding of modern society, distinct from the orthodox description. This goes with the stream of a new history which focuses on the daily life and culture of ordinary people. This is one of the appealing points of the agricultural history, developed as a boundary study field from the origin.
	Staff Professor: ITO Atsushi, PhD. Agri, Sci., Associate Professor; TOKUYAMA Rinko, PhD. Agri, Sci. Doctor course Master course
	Main subjects The research conducted in this laboratory covers historical studies of changes concerned with agriculture, rural society, food, diet, and environment in both Japan and foreign countries. We study now mainly of following subjects.
	a) Research on farm management history A farm management is the fundamental unit of agriculture. There are various types in farm managements, from which are formed some social classes of farmers and the regional agricultural structure. Finally it leads to national agriculture bound to the international relationships. The purpose of our study is to make clear the social dynamic process of the farm management leading the agricultural development, especially by focusing upon the technical and economic aspects.
	b) Comparative study on the development of Japanese agriculture. It is a important subject in current social sciences to rethink the paradigm of modernization, which has been regarded as a universal trend effectual even in another non-European countries. Reviewing the results of historical studies on Japanese agriculture and peasant society, furthermore comparing it with another Asian countries, we are now engaged in clearing a characteristic of Japanese agriculture in spectrum of world agriculture types. Our new framework is based on a comprehensive historical knowledge, different from a once presented hypothesis from a viewpoint of agricultural technology.
	c) Study on the agriculture and peasant problems in the war-time-system. It has been often emphasized that further historical study is required on the real conditions of agriculture and rural society in the war-time-system 1937-1945. As is shown in the following subjects, "technology, production, and farm management in the war-time-system," "the real situations of rural society under the economic control of the government," "life and farm of Japanese immigrants in Manchuria," we research firstly on the influence of the extreme selective economic policy upon the domestic agriculture, secondly on the influence of both the inflation and the economic control of the government upon the rural society, finally on the political and economical position of domestic agriculture and rural society in the "Japanese empire."

---