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영어

Hiratsuka Raicho, the well-known new woman in modern Japan, constructed maternalism through ‘the debate on maternity protection’ in the Daisho period. Since then Hiratsuka's maternalism asserting rights of women and maternity protection toward the state was practiced. But the Second Sino-Japanese War lasted in the late 1930s, the contents and assertions of Hiratsuka's maternalism had been altered. Particularly, this research was to investigate the transformation of Hiratsuka's maternalism during the Second Sino-Japanese War of the late 1930s. Because her maternalism of the late 1930s had important meanings which were distinguished from Hiratsuka's maternalism composed through ‘the debate on maternity protection’ in Daisho period. As a result of research, Hiratsuka's maternalism was fused into the discourse of militaristic mother, that is Chong Hoo Buin(hereafter women in the rear guard). Therefore the contents and assertions of Hiratsuka's maternalism had been transformed. First, her maternalism was very emphatic on mothering education of women in the rear guard to beautify Japanese invasion of China. Second, Hiratsuka who emphasized the state's guarantee of maternity proposed many plans for the maternity protection of women in the rear guard. Especially Hiratsuka highlighted the tragic calamity that 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. Besides, as men joined the army in the Second Sino-Japanese War of the late 1930s more and more women entered the workforce in this period. Hiratsuka stressed the maternity protection along with special protection of women's labor. Especially Hiratsuka's maternalism connected this maternity protection with national hygienics which was emphasized by the militarism of the emperor system of Japan in this period. Third, Hiratsuka's maternalism which declared progressive women's movement in 1920 was altered to set up an alliance with the activities of militaristic state-inspired women's organizations that were made for the mobilization of women under the war system in the late 1930s.