earticle

영어

Hiratsuka Raicho, the well-known new woman in modern Japan who constructed maternalism through ‘the debate on maternity protection’ in Daisho period. This article is to research Hiratsuka's maternalism composed in ‘the debate on maternity protection’ from the Asian women's perspective. As a result of research, Hiratsuka's maternalism combined all the three major conceps of ‘the debate on maternity protection’. Namely, her maternalism combined with Ellen Key‘s theory of motherhood, motherhood of ethnic/nation state and protection of maternity. Generally speaking, Ellen Key‘s theory of motherhood must have based on eugenics and social-darwinism that was abused by imperialism and fascism. And the idea of motherhood of ethnic/nation state was converted into the state's ideology of genetic superiority, in which the children should be considered as social or national resources rather than as personal belongings and that the number and quality of children gave a strong influence to the development and destiny of the nation. As a result of motherhood of ethnic/nation state could not transcend the rule of the emperor system of Japan. Also Hiratsuka who emphasized the state's guarantee of maternity proposed many plans for the maternity protection toward the state. Among them, there were plans of the maternity protection that had dangerous influence on Asian women. For example, Hiratsuka highlighted the tragic calamity that a series of wars and venereal diseases inflicted upon maternity, family, children and ethic Japanese people. This also led Hiratsuka to demand the programs of venereal disease prevention for Japanese mothers. Her claims also had influence to make ‘comfort women’ mobilization policy from the Japanese occupied colonies and other Asian countries during the Asia Pacific War. In this way, Hiratsuka's maternalism composed through ‘the debate on maternity protection’ had dangerous ripple effects on Asian women.