2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Cult Problems and Social Order: Comparative Sociological Study of Formation of Public Sphere
| Project/Area Number |
16320010
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
Religious studies
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
SAKURAI Yoshihide Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Letters, Professor, 大学院文学研究科, 教授 (50196135)
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSUCHIYA Hiroshi Hokkai Gakuen University, Faculty of Humanity, Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (30000607)
WATANABE Manabu Nanzan University, Faculty of Politics, Professor, 総合政策学部, 教授 (20192817)
ROBERT Kisara Nanzan University, Faculty of Humanitiy, Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (80278308)
YUMIYAMA Tatsuya Taisho University, Faculty of Humanitiy, Professor, 人間学部, 教授 (40311998)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
|
| Keywords | cult problems / Unification Church / social order / cult problems research project / Aum Supreme Truth Cult / JMS / Therapv society / spirituality |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
Researchers who study cult problems and social orders in the comparative perspective should conduct survey not only cult issues but background phenomena of culture and society. Admitting that our research results are partials of recent cult problems in modern world, our three years' research project reached our desired result as follows:
1)Yoshihide Sakurai conducts comparative study of cult issues and anti-cult movements in Europe, North American region and Japan.
2)Hiroshi Tsuchiya reconsiders spirituality and religion in the perspective of researcher's positionality.
3)Manabu Watanabe describes believers' affiliation, conversion, and defection in cults, and evaluates psychological effects of exit counseling they experienced.
4)Hutoshi Watanabe argues legitimacy of exit counseling for cult believers and compares their recovery with large numbers of shut-in person in Japan.
5)Yasushi Koike deals with survivors' claim, infringement of their human rights, which reflects modern culture of self-determination and self-responsibility.
6)Hiroko Nakanishi compares media reports concerning the Unification Church in Japan with those in Korea.
7)Graduate students also conduct valuable researches in various fields.
Although not a few researchers are interested in this issue and some young researchers are aware of significance in the sociology of religion, head investigator should indicate the difficulties of organizing research group that will face cult issues and respond civilian's expectation by critical and practical recognition of cults. However, study of cult issues should be continued.
|
