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From Undemocratic To Democratic Civil Society: Japan's Volunteer Fire Departments, Mary Alice Haddad
From Undemocratic To Democratic Civil Society: Japan's Volunteer Fire Departments, Mary Alice Haddad
Mary Alice Haddad
How do undemocratic civic organizations become compatible with democratic civil society? How do local organizations merge older patriarchal, hierarchical values and practices with newer more egalitarian, democratic ones? This article tells the story of how volunteer fire departments have done this in Japan. Their transformation from centralized war instrument of an authoritarian regime to local community safety organization of a full-fledged democracy did not happen overnight. A slow process of demographic and value changes helped the organization adjust to more democratic social values and practices. The way in which this organization made the transition offers important lessons for emerging democracies …
Confucianism, Authoritarianism, And Democratization In South Korea, Andrew Selman
Confucianism, Authoritarianism, And Democratization In South Korea, Andrew Selman
BYU Asian Studies Journal
Many argue that principles of liberal democracy are generally not compatible with the values and beliefs of a society based on Confucian principles.1 Confucianism promotes loyalty and obedience to and respect for those in authority. If Confucian values form the foundation of a society, then the citizens will show deference to the leaders of that country and will be more likely to submit to authoritarian or even totalitarian governments. The continuation of authoritarian governments in China, Singapore, and Vietnam, all countries with considerable Confucian influence in society, seem to support this theory. Between 1948 and 1987, South Korea also saw …