Vol. 7 No. 2 (2004)
Reflections

Dansei Konenki: Narratives of Male Menopause in Contemporary Japan

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  • Tomoko Sakai
Tomoko Sakai
Stanford University
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v7i2.787

Published 2020-12-01

Keywords

  • Male menopause,
  • Japan,
  • anthropology

How to Cite

1.
Sakai T. Dansei Konenki: Narratives of Male Menopause in Contemporary Japan. McGill J Med [Internet]. 2020 Dec. 1 [cited 2025 Oct. 6];7(2). Available from: https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/787
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Abstract

Previous research has focused on cross-cultural comparisons of illnesses, such as depression and senile dementia, though few have studied the actual processes by which these illness categories become separated from their roots and adopted in a different locale; in anthropological terms, their "indigenization." Through anthropological fieldwork conducted from June to September of 2003, this paper explores how dansei konenki, or male menopause, has found a niche in contemporary Japan, as well as the defining features of the country that may explain this phenomenon. Based on this research, I argue that the indigenization of dansei konenki embodies a particular socio- historical moment in Japan-namely, that of the long-running economic decline in recent years.

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