Barbara Holthus
Deputy Director
Sociology
Since April 2018
holthus@dijtokyo.org
Profile on ORCID
Barbara Holthus holds two Ph.D. degrees, in Japanese Studies from the University of Trier, Germany, 2006, and in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2010. Before taking up the position of deputy director at the German Institute for Japanese Studies Tokyo in April 2018, she was assistant professor at the Department of East Asian Studies / Japanese Studies at the University of Vienna. Her research is on marriage and the family, child care, happiness and well-being, volunteering, media, gender, rural Japan, as well as demographic and social change. She was principal investigator of a German Science Foundation (DFG) funded research project on comparing parental well-being in Germany and Japan (2014-2017).
Her most recent publications are Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics (2020; co-editors I. Gagne, W. Manzenreiter, F. Waldenberger). Parental well-being: Satisfaction with work, family life, and family policy in Germany and Japan (2018; co-editor H. Bertram), Life course, happiness and well-being in Japan (2017; co-editor W. Manzenreiter), Happiness and the good life in Japan (2017; co-editor W. Manzenreiter).
You can reach Barbara at holthus@dijtokyo.org or follow her Twitter account @barbGhawaii.
Current DIJ Projects
The Sociology of Pets in Contemporary Japan
Regional diversity of well-being in Japan
Social movements and gender in post-3.11 Japan
COVID-19: Japan’s handling of a new challenge in international comparison
Special project:
Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics
Completed DIJ Projects
The meaning of local community for happiness and selfhood
Parental well-being in the rural periphery of Germany and Japan: Choices, challenges, and considerations
Parents against Radiation. A case study
Social Aspects of Low Fertility in Japan
Marital Happiness and Discord: Discourses in Japanese Women’s Magazines
Parental Well-Being - Germany and Japan in Comparison
Great East Japan Earthquake
Childcare and Work-Life Balance in Low Fertility Japan
Fertility and Social Stratification
Recent Publications
Holthus, Barbara (2024). "ドイツの出生率推移を紐解く [Unravelling Germany’s fertility rate development]".
Nenkin to keizai, Vol 43, No. 2 (pp. 12-31).
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2024).
Peer Review for: Costantini et al: Developing Inclusive Community Platforms: A Catalyst for DEI Community. LINKHolthus, Barbara & Schwarzbart, Ricarda (2023). "Nachhaltigkeit und (Haus)tierrecht: Ein deutsch-japanischer Vergleich". Rescriptum, vol. 21, 2 (pp. 81-90).
Holthus, Barbara (July 1, 2023). "Soziologie der Haustiere im heutigen Japan".
Max Weber Stiftung, Themenportal.
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2022). "Covid-Olympia 2020/2021: Japans Wunsch nach Neuerfindung". In: Blechinger-Talcott, Verena, Chiavacci, David & Schwentker, Wolfgang (Eds.),
Japan: Ein Land im Umbruch (pp. 299-311). BeBra Verlag.
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2022). "Review of Amorphous Dissent: Post-Fukushima Social Movements in Japan, edited by Horie Takashi, Tanaka Hikaru, and Tanno Kiyoto. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press, 2021".
Social Science Japan Journal, 25:2 (Summer 2022) (pp. 357-360).
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2022). "Catchword: Kodomo kateicho".
DIJ Newsletter, 67.
LINKHolthus, Barbara & Manzenreiter, Wolfram (2021). "A board game approach to studying the multidimensionality of life satisfaction". In: Cieslik, Mark (Ed.),
Researching happiness: Qualitative, biographical and critical perspectives (pp. 199-218). Bristol University Press.
LINKManzenreiter, Wolfram & Holthus, Barbara (2021). "The Meaning of Place for Selfhood and Well-being in Rural Japan". In: Ganseforth, Sonja & Jentzsch, Hanno (Eds.),
Rethinking Locality in Japan (pp. 69-84). Routledge.
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2021).
Gendered social movements in post-3.11 Japan: A survey report. DIJ (DIJ Working Papers).
LINKHolthus, Barbara & Manzenreiter, Wolfram (2020). "‘Bullseye view on happiness’: A qualitative interview survey method". In: Kottmann, Nora & Reiher, Cornelia (Eds.),
Studying Japan: Research Designs, Fieldwork and Methods (pp. 151-154). Nomos.
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2020). "Review of Empire of dogs. Canines, Japan, and the making of the modern imperial world. Aaron Herald Skabelund".
Contemporary Japan.
LINKHolthus, Barbara & Higuchi , N. (2020). "デモ参加をめぐるジェンダーギャプ [Gender gap in demonstration participation]". In: Higuchi, N. & Matsutani, M. (Eds.), ３.１１後の社会運 [Social movements post-3.11] (pp. 121-143). Chikuma.
Holthus, Barbara (2020). "Japan and the Olympic Games [Japan und die Olympischen Spiele]".
DIJ Newsletter, 61.
LINKHolthus, Barbara, Gagné, Isaac, Manzenreiter, Wolfram & Waldenberger, Franz (2020). "Postscript: The new Olympic race against COVID-19". In: Holthus, Barbara, Gagné, Isaac, Manzenreiter, Wolfram & Waldenberger, Franz (Eds.),
Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics (pp. 17-17). Routledge.
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2020). "Volunteering Japan-style: ‘Field cast’ for the Tokyo Olympics". In: Holthus, Barbara, Gagné, Isaac, Manzenreiter, Wolfram & Waldenberger, Franz (Eds.), Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics (pp. 104-109). Routledge.
Holthus, Barbara, Gagné, Isaac, Manzenreiter, Wolfram & Waldenberger, Franz (2020). "Understanding Japan through the lens of Tokyo 2020". In: Holthus, Barbara, Gagné, Isaac, Manzenreiter, Wolfram & Waldenberger, Franz (Eds.), Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics (pp. 1-7). Routledge.
Holthus, Barbara (2020).
Wie Phönix aus der Asche – oder Japans Wunsch der Neuerfindung durch die Olympischen Spiele 2020. DIJ (DIJ Working Papers).
LINKHolthus, Barbara, Gagné, Isaac, Manzenreiter, Wolfram & Waldenberger, Franz (Eds.) (2020).
Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics. Routledge.
LINKHolthus, Barbara & Kottmann, Nora (2019). "(No) sex in the city?". DIJ Newsletter, 60.
Holthus, Barbara (2019). "Introduction to special section: Emotions and affect in studies on contemporary Japan". Contemporary Japan, 31.2 (pp. 118-121).
Holthus, Barbara (2019).
Infrastructural Family Policy in Japan: Parental Evaluation. DIJ (DIJ Working Papers).
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2019). "Infrastructural family policy in Japan: Parental evaluation". In: Meier-Gräwe, Uta, Motozawa, Miyoko & Schad-Seifert, Annette (Eds.), Family life in Japan and Germany. Challenges for a gender sensitive family policy (pp. 135-156). Springer.
Holthus, Barbara & Manzenreiter, Wolfram (2019).
Bullseye view: Developing a sociological method for studying happiness. DIJ (DIJ Working Papers).
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2018). "Review of Fukushima and the Arts. Barbara Geilhorn, Kristina Iwata-Weickgenannt (Eds.)". Journal of Japanese Studies, 44,2 (pp. 461-465).
Holthus, Barbara & Lützeler, Ralph (2018). "Parental well-being in Japan: Regional differences". In: Lützeler, Ralph (Ed.), Rural areas between decline and resurgence: Lessons from Japan and Austria (pp. 93-97). Department of East Asian Studies/ Japanese Studies, Univ. of Vienna.
Holthus, Barbara & Waldenberger, Franz (2018). "30 Jahre gesellschafts- und geisteswissenschaftliche Forschung zu Japan. Das Deutsche Institut für Japanstudien, 1988-2018".
Weltweit vor Ort. Das Magazin der Max Weber Stiftung, 2 (pp. 26-29).
LINKHolthus, Barbara (2018). "Parental satisfaction with family policies in Japan: An overview". In: Holthus, Barbara & Bertram, Hans (Eds.), Parental well-being. Satisfaction with work, family life, and family policy in Germany and Japan (pp. 264-292). Iudicium. (DIJ Monographien).
Holthus, Barbara, Fankhauser, Peter & Hundsdorfer, Stefan (2018). "Partnership satisfaction in Germany and Japan: The role of family work distribution and gender ideology". In: Holthus, Barbara & Bertram, Hans (Eds.), Parental well-being. Satisfaction with work, family life, and family policy in Germany and Japan (pp. 164-196). Iudicium. (DIJ Monographien).
Holthus, Barbara & Bertram, Hans (2018). "Parents in transitional Germany and Japan". In: Holthus, Barbara & Bertram, Hans (Eds.), Parental well-being. Satisfaction with work, family life, and family policy in Germany and Japan (pp. 9-15). Iudicium. (DIJ Monographien).
Eichelberg, Sven & Holthus, Barbara (2018).
30 Years Interdisciplinary Research on Site. 1988 – 2018. DIJ.
LINKHolthus, Barbara & Bertram, Hans (Eds.) (2018).
Parental well-being. Satisfaction with work, family life, and family policy in Germany and Japan. Iudicium.
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