2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Dynamics of Culture: A Comparative-Historical Study of Social Movement Culture in Japan
| Project/Area Number |
13610187
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
社会学(含社会福祉関係)
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| Research Institution | Sophia University |
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Principal Investigator |
NOMIYA Daishiro Sophia University, Department of Foreign Studies, Professor, 外国語学部, 教授 (20256085)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2001 – 2003
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| Keywords | culture / social movements / Japanese history / comparative / historical |
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| Research Abstract |
Why do the weak, who do not have weapons or necessary resources, stand up and stage resistance against the politically strong even with little hope of success? This research, focusing on the "culture" of resistance, aims to answer this question.
This research, locating the sources of the resistance in the culture of the resistant group in question, proceeds with two different foci: a theoretical inquiry and empirical examination of theoretical implications using peasant resistance in mid 19^<th> century Shimoina, Shinshu in Japan. Theoretical investigation resulted in several findings.
(1)In everyday culture, there exist ways of thinking, or concepts and referent that can rationalize and legitimize resistance. Often these referents are hidden behind commonsensical activities, or the normative regulations of everyday life.
(2)Such concepts and referent has been carried over to the locality through popular amusement activities, such as performance, show, and dancing.
Shimoina peasant resistance was employed to examine the validity of these theoretical findings.
(3)Shimoina peasant, when rose against the ruling class, legitimized their action on the basis of "benevolence" purported to be given to the peasants by the lord. In other words, lack of benevolence became the legitimizing source of resistance.
(4)This concept of benevolence had been brought in to this region through "Inaka Kabuki (local Kabuki performance)" and "Ningyo Shibai (Puppet show)," both of which were everyday entertainments for peasants.
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