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This volume is a handbook of the academic field of “socio-economic history, introducing what has been clarified and to what extent in current research in this area.” The work was edited by the Socio-Economic History Society, one of Japan’s leading academic societies in this field, while many faculty members of our university, including myself (Tanimoto), one of the editor-in-chiefs, were involved as editorial board members and authors.
 
In addition to economics and history, which are particularly closely related as academic fields, “socio-economic history,” which focuses on the economic aspects of the history of human society, spans both the social sciences and the humanities, including political science, law, sociology, anthropology, demography, and geography, and uses a variety of methods. In recent years, we have also seen collaborative efforts with the natural sciences. What kind of structure and editorial policy should be adopted to convey the contemporary achievements and appeal of this academic field? Lively discussions were exchanged at the meetings, mainly attended by the society’s chairman and the editors-in-chief, and the decision was taken not to adopt the initially suggested structure of making divisions according to time period and region, which is what is conventional in historical research, but to define the following 16 problem areas and incorporate approximately 20 individual themes into them (a total of 208 items and 245 authors).
 
“History of and Methods in Socio-Economic History,” “Trade and Commerce,” “Production and Technology,” “Consumption,” “Finance,” “Employment and Labor,” “Welfare and Social Security,” “Medical Care and Sanitation,” “Family, Population, and Gender,” “Transportation and Information,” “People’s Movement,” “Resources, the Environment, and Energy,” “Cities,” “The State,” “War and Economy,” “International Order and Development”
 
I would say one feature of this volume is that it identifies independent problem areas for not only traditional fields that focus on market economization, industrial development, and government policies but also areas previously peripheral in economic history research. Most of the individual themes are completed in a two-page spread, so the reader can easily access and read themes that interest them. To incorporate basic information as well as to reflect the latest result of research into the limited space is not an easy work, but I think that most such difficulties have been overcome by the authors, who are well-versed in their field (although I might be biased in this regard…).
 
In conclusion, although it becomes self-serving, I would like to quote a part of the commentary at the beginning of “Family, Population, and Gender” (Chapter 9), which I edited in collaboration with Chiaki Yamamoto (Osaka University), as an example for your reference.
 
“The family, which is the smallest constituent unit of human society, or the household formed around the family, is not only a place of population reproduction but also an agent of production and consumption. There is considerable variation in how families are formed and in how wealth and human and social capital are inherited to the next generation through the family, so their nature has a significant impact on macro demographics and the economy. This chapter provides an overview of historical shifts and geographical differences in topics surrounding family, population, and gender, and explains what is known and what issues remain.”
 

(Written by TANIMOTO Masayuki, Professor, Graduate School of Economics / 2024)