A Journal from Japan


Read by Expatriate

(4.4 stars; 15 reviews)

Marie Stopes was a highly controversial scientist and activist in her era, campaigning for radical new views of love-based marriage, birth control, and women’s rights. As a scientist, she was a renowned palaeobotanist, specializing in issues concerning coal; these scientific pursuits led her to spend several years in Japan, where she went into some of the country's remotest coal mines to study fossils. While there, she pursued a notorious relationship with Japanese botanist Fujii Kenjiro as well as several romantic dalliances with European women in the lively Tokyo diplomatic community. She established the first birth-control clinic in England in 1921, committed to an abortion-free philosophy of family planning. Stopes continues to be an ambiguous figure in historical consideration, her family-planning philosophies verging throughout her life on less-savory views such as eugenics and race purification, though the terminology employed at the time makes it unclear whether or not she was merely advocating more careful, consciously-planned, and responsible parenthood. That she rejected fascist views of eugenics is plain by her anti-Nazi passions in later life. These journal entries from Japan cover the period of August 6, 1907 through January 24, 1909, and show both her incisively scientific observational powers and a profound appreciation of the poignant beauty of Japanese culture and sensibilities, which she saw to be under threat during that era of modernization and industrialization. (Summary by Expatriate) (7 hr 58 min)

Chapters

Introductory Material 11:37 Read by Expatriate
Aug. 06, 1907—Aug. 19, 1907 19:37 Read by Expatriate
Aug. 20, 1907—Sep. 04, 1907 20:33 Read by Expatriate
Sep. 05, 1907—Sep. 28, 1907 21:02 Read by Expatriate
Sep. 29, 1907—Oct. 14, 1907 22:15 Read by Expatriate
Oct. 15, 1907—Oct. 25, 1907 19:11 Read by Expatriate
Oct. 26, 1907—Nov. 23, 1907 20:32 Read by Expatriate
Nov. 24, 1907—Dec. 31, 1907 19:22 Read by Expatriate
Jan. 01, 1908—Feb. 03, 1908 22:08 Read by Expatriate
Feb. 04, 1908—Feb. 27, 1908 19:48 Read by Expatriate
Feb. 28, 1908—Mar. 26, 1908 19:47 Read by Expatriate
Mar. 27, 1908—Apr. 07, 1908 22:40 Read by Expatriate
Apr. 08, 1908—Apr. 27, 1908 19:55 Read by Expatriate
Apr. 28, 1908—May 11, 1908 20:06 Read by Expatriate
May 12, 1908—Jun 01, 1908 22:29 Read by Expatriate
Jun 02, 1908—Jul 06, 1908 20:34 Read by Expatriate
Jul 07, 1908—Jul 26, 1908 19:59 Read by Expatriate
Jul 27, 1908—Aug 13, 1908 19:16 Read by Expatriate
Aug 14, 1908—Sep 11, 1908 21:18 Read by Expatriate
Sep 12, 1908—Oct 31, 1908 21:21 Read by Expatriate
Nov 01, 1908—Nov 26, 1908 20:14 Read by Expatriate
Nov 27, 1908—Dec 28, 1908 19:53 Read by Expatriate
Dec 29, 1908—Jan 24, 1909 17:41 Read by Expatriate
Conclusion 16:54 Read by Expatriate

Reviews

A look back in time


(4 stars)

An interesting insight in to Japan as it seeks it's place in the modern world, as well as an understanding of one of the leading campaigners for women's liberation

interesting


(4.5 stars)

good reader. definitely worth a listen.