Law and Discourse in the Creation of the Japanese Family Model

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the construction of the “traditional family” model in japan, during the Meiji era. It will deconstruct the ie concept, according to the juridical language used in the Japanese Civil Code of 1889 (also known as the Meiji Civil Code), in order to substantiate the term’s secondary and subordinate nature in relation to “traditional family” as a paradigm created by governmental ideologists of the times. Finally, it outlines and emphasizes the importance of both the political and the legal levels of speech in the consolidation process of the Meiji state.