Deadly virtues
Inner-worldly asceticism and karôshi in Japan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2305567 |
|---|---|
| Authors | North (0000-0002-5576-7837, The University of Osaka, corresponding author), Scott North (0000-0003-4427-5439, The University of Osaka) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 146-159 |
| Publication date | 2011-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Current Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0011-3921 • E-ISSN: 1461-7064 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0011392110391145 |
| OpenAlex | W2159157102 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 11 |
This article explores the relationship between Japanese workers' persistent inner-worldly asceticism and today's globalizing economy. The interplay of values and corporate cultural practices, global market forces and individual health outcomes is illustrated in the case of an Osaka stockbroker killed by overwork (karôshi) during the 1990 Gulf War and resultant collapse of Japan's 'bubble economy'. The analysis centres on corporate documents and events which publicly valorized the broker as the embodiment of the ideal employee. The tradition of discipline, dedication and deference that he came to symbolize interacted with inequalities in the global division of labour to produce tragic consequences for him and his family. Viewed through historical, micro and macro lenses, the negative potential of such ascetic work ethics comes into focus. But the analysis also shows how such cases become catalysts for social movements that emphasize the value of care
Asceticism · Deference · Economics · Economy · Environmental ethics · Ideal (ethics) · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · Value (mathematics) · Emile Durkheim and Sociology · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Weber, Simmel, Sociological Theory
David Graeber, Valeurs, politique et démocratie aux États Unis
Hope found in lives lost
The Gender Politics of Human Waste and Human‐as‐Waste
Exploring Litigation, Court Rulings, and Legal Mobilization in Response to Death and Suicide from Overwork
Introduction to the Symposium of Manufacturing (Un)Happiness in East Asia
Activisme judiciaire et transformations de l’action publique au Japon
The Covid-19 crisis as a double-edged revealer
Working Overtime in East Asia
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2025 (12) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |