The Japanese Association for Mathematical Sociology:
History, Current Situation, and Challenges
HIRAMATSU Hiroshi and SATO Yoshimichi
Japanese Association for Mathematical Sociology

History and Ambitions
The Japanese Association for Mathematical Sociology (henceforth, “the Association”) was
founded in March 1986 with just over 30 sociologists and interested parties from adjacent fields.
Compared to other established sociological associations, it is considered as a very young
association, with a history stretching over a quarter of a century (26 years in 2012). However, it has
been very active, holding conferences twice a year. Its journal, Riron to Houhou (SociologicalTheory and Methods) has published 52 issues as of 2012, and prides itself on its rigorous refereeing
process.
The Association’s history, in fact, dates back to around 1980, when sociologists with expertisein mathematical and statistical analyses in the Kansai area were meeting on a regular basis, andscholars who were engaged in the national survey of Social Stratification and Social Mobility (SSMsurvey) were holding study meetings in Tokyo separately. The total number of people involved wasabout 15. The Study Group on Mathematical Sociology was set up first, and as momentum grew,
the Japanese Association for Mathematical Sociology was founded in 1986. About 40 scholars
attended the inaugural conference in March, and the core membership consisted of young scholars
in their 30s and 40s. The Association attracted sociologists with a mathematical orientation,
statistical and quantitative scholars, social psychologists, and economists.
The Association’s charter spelled out its ambitions. “The Japanese Association forMathematical Sociology aims, within sociology, to be a meeting place for all scholars who areinterested in deciphering social phenomena through the construction of mathematical models, … itaims, outside sociology, to be a meeting place for all scholars who are interested in decipheringsocial phenomena by introducing mathematical orientations (scholars including social scientists andnatural scientists).” In other words, its aim was “to construct and develop deductive sociologicaltheories based on mathematical thinking.” Right from the beginning, a view existed that whatquantitative sociology intended and what mathematical sociology intended were different. However,at the launch, harmony between the two was expected because “both are based on mathematicaltheory and are complementary to each other.” This might have contributed to making the purposeof the Association vague. That is to say, quantitative sociology is not necessarily oriented toward
the construction of sociological theories. It can be said that the contradiction (this may be anexaggeration) between quantitative sociology and mathematical sociology, in a broad sense, which
existed at the launch of the Association, still exists. This has been extensively discussed at theAssociation’s conferences. It is because many members are involved in both disciplines that thiscontradiction has not developed into a serious schism and that both disciplines have developed321

together by being “complementary to each other.” This can be seen in the fact that thelong-standing SSM surveys have primarily been conducted by members of the Association.
Present Stage: Conflicts of Mathematical and Quantitative Orientations
At present, studies with highly developed techniques are pursued in both mathematicalsociology and quantitative sociology. In mathematical sociology, studies based on evolutionary
game theory, agent-based models, and network analysis are developing fast. In quantitativesociology, highly sophisticated techniques such as log-linear models, log-multiplicative models,
event history analysis, latent growth curve models, multi-level models, text data mining, and panel
data analysis are often used.
It is encouraging to see that research has become more sophisticated and has deepened in bothmathematical sociology and quantitative sociology. However, there is no denying that two big
problems still exist. First, it is now increasingly difficult to maintain an interdisciplinary dialogue
between mathematical sociology and quantitative sociology. As mentioned earlier, the Associationis built on a complementary relationship between the two. However, as the interdisciplinarydialogue becomes more and more difficult, the creative tension between the two will be lost and theAssociation may lose its vitality. This must be improved upon.
The second problem is that because of the degree of sophistication of mathematical sociology
and quantitative sociology, interdisciplinary dialogues with other sociological disciplines arebecoming difficult. As discussed later, many Japanese sociologists are not mathematically trained.
Therefore, they find it difficult to understand cutting-edge mathematical models and statisticalmethods and cannot fully appreciate their contributions. Both mathematical sociologists andquantitative sociologists have to present their research in a way that is comprehensible tosociologists working in different fields. Moreover, it is necessary for mathematical sociologists andquantitative sociologists to fully comprehend sociological implications and the significance ofusing such models and techniques. This was discussed in a special issue of the Association’s journal,Sociological Theory and Methods, Vol. 26, No. 2, “Significance of mathematical sociology insociology.” In other words, its position in sociology has always been questioned, is now beingquestioned, and will continue to be questioned in the future.
Other important issues related to this are mathematical education and training andinternationalization. Mathematics, which is the basis of various disciplines, is not firmly
institutionalized in sociological educational curriculum. This was true a quarter of a century ago,
and it is still true today. Even now, members of the Association manage to learn and teachmathematics by themselves at their universities. Will there be a day when mathematics is
systematically integrated into the sociological educational curriculum? Of course, the fact thatsocial statistics, in relation to social survey and quantitative sociology, is taking roots in thesociology curriculum, in addition to the institutionalization of the certification as social researchers,means that members of the Association have made significant contributions.

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Pursuing Further Internationalization
The Association has also been pursuing the further internationalization of sociologicalresearch. Based on the fact that many sociological studies in Japan are “importations” of studies
from Western countries, the Association has been seeking and practicing the promotion ofinternational exchanges (presentations and participation in international conferences) and the“exportation” of our own research. Many members have not only participated and madepresentations at international conferences but also have held joint conferences with Western
scholars, and the Association has been awarding grants to translate their members’ works.
Publishing in English has become the norm in the natural sciences in Japan, but we are still far
away from it. Still, the Association should take the lead and encourage graduate students to publish
their works in English.
As for joint conferences, the Association has held five joint conferences with the Section on
Mathematical Sociology of the American Sociological Association. The first one took place inHawaii in June 2000. Since then, joint conferences have continued to be held thanks to the effortsof the successive organizers, and the fifth joint conference was held in August 2012 in Denver as apreconference of the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting.
These joint conferences have several implications. First, as expected, they have encouraged
intellectual exchanges between mathematical sociologists from Japan and the United States. At thefirst joint conference, American mathematical sociologists scarcely knew anything aboutmathematical sociology in Japan and, in fact, they “discovered” highly developed research byJapanese mathematical sociologists at the conference. As more joint conferences were held,individual friendships developed and collaboration in research also started. Second, they serve as agood opportunity for young scholars, including graduate students, to present their work at
international conferences. It is very challenging for young Japanese scholars whose mother tongue
is not English to present their papers at the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting or
the International Sociological Association’s World Congress. These joint conferences are attended
by a number of familiar scholars from Japan, which makes it easier for the young scholars topresent their work. By participating in the joint conferences, they become used to the atmosphere ofinternational conferences and can move on to participating in even bigger internationalconferences.
The Association itself is internationalizing. First, it can be seen in the Association’s journal,
Sociological Theory and Methods. The number of articles written in English by Japanese andnon-Japanese scholars is increasing. Second, more presentations at the Association’s conferences
are given in English. It is expected that this will create a pattern that starts with giving presentations
in English at the Association’s conferences, developing into giving presentations in English at theJoint Conference, and then leading to publications in English.
As globalization gathers momentum, there is a growing expectation on Japanese sociologists
to present their research findings in the international arena. The members of the Association arefortunate in this respect because they are well versed in mathematics and statistics, which are thelingua francas of the world. The members of the Association are called upon to reflect on this and323

expand on a global scale.
Reference
Sato, Yoshimichi. 2013. “Mathematical Sociology in Japan: Its Powerful Development and aProblem.” International Journal of Japanese Sociology 22(1): 16-31.
Contact Information
Official Website: http://www.jams-sociology.org/?page_id=148
E-mail: jams.jimu@gmail.com

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