THE POSTMODERN SOCIAL MOVEMENT IN JAPAN -Sociology of Movements against the Construction of Nagara River Estuary Dam-

1996 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 07610211
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: OTEMON GAKUIN UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Shigeru OTEMON GAKUIN UNIVERSITY,FACULTY OF HUMANICS,PROFESSOR, 人間学部, 教授 (60155132)
• Project Period (FY): 1995 – 1996
• Keywords: NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS / MOVEMENT AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF NAGARA RIVER ESTUARY DAM / POLLUTION / ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS / POSTMODERN / SACRED-PROFANE-PLAY

Research Abstract

Nagara River is a rare natural river without dams in Japan. The plan to construct a dam at the estuary of it was initially proposed in early 1960's for the utilization of water resources, when Japan was booming with high economic growth. At present, it is not so necessary to develop the new water resources in Chukyo District, in which Nagara River is located, because of the structural change of economy and the slowing down of economic growth from the middle of 1970's in Japan. However, the central government bureaucrals adhered to accomplish the project even by changing its purpose from utilization of water resources to flood control. In other words, now the project is not for industries, but for itself.
The existence of the movement against the construction of the estuary dam has come to be known through nationwide mass media networks since 1988. However, in realty, this movement has a long history dating back to 1960's. The reason why the movement has begun to be reported so frequently through mass media since 1988 is that the movement has drastically changed from an economic movement, based on wide gaps in economic power between industries, fishery and modern industries, to an environmental movement to save the river.
At the conference, I would like to analyze the state of comtemporary bureaucracy in Japan and the possibility of civic movement against it, through the comparison of two movements, the old and the new, against the construction of the estuary dam.