What sociological theory can produce actuality? It is quite difficult to answer this simple question. One idea is that if a theory can carry out some significant exploration on rapid social change at the present day, it must entail theoretical actuality. In the feld of transnational sociology, theories with actuality describe and/or explain recent accelerated and complex migration and its effects. In particular, change of citizenshi pinstitution including emerging ‘new citizenship’ has become an important topic for testing actuality of theories. This idea from transnational sociology gives implications to general sociological theories as follow: First, empirical referent is the key as to whether a theory can produce actuality or not; Second, a theory beyond ‘national framework' is not necessarily followed by actuality: Finally, not only sociological theories but also other theories such as political and economic ones have possibilities to present actuality. As the final remark, theoretical sociologists should explore theories with actuality, without being trapped in self-complacency through searching for their own identities as theorists of sociology.

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A recent sociology theory has changed into the one that gave priority from the one to the subjectivity like the subject and the act, etc. that relates gradually to the law like the structure and objectivity, etc. The collapse to which socialist countries of especially 1989-91 year come one after another lost the concern for a social theory of the Marxism. The researcher hits the focus from an objective form of the society to a society people inside by such an average. The theory of the association of macro sociology became unpopular at the end of the 20th century. Sociology has changed from an abstract theory to the analysis of a concrete problem. The public theory comes to offer a new aspect to a social research by such an average.
By the way, the public-private concept of the West strongly influences East Asia in a rapid globalization in recent years. However, there is no hierarchical relationship of moralistic value between the private public in the West unlike the KOU-SHI relation of East Asia. However, the negative sense is included in east Asia like WATAKUSHI's being symbolized in private profit and private advantage. This respect is a point to invent a fundamental difference of the society in the West and east Asia. In this sense, the research of a new society needs the reexamination related to past OHOYAKE-WATAKUSHI(KOU-SHI). In such an average, a public concept of recent Japan has changed from “Existence” into “Function”. This thesis tries to clarify it in above all through the space symbol.

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The purpose of this paper is to discriminate methodologically and politically between “sustainable development / society” and “life-environmentalism,” which has been advocated in Environmental Sociology in Japan since the 1980s and it says that the most important thing for local residents of a locality is the conservation of the area’s local lifesystem. From the viewpoint of life-environmentalism, “sustainable development” is a questionable concept because it is excessively dependent on scientific technologies and ideas, as well as “natural environmentalism” and “modern techno-centrism” are. However, we can often observe that people living in a local area do some adaptable acts toward their environment in harmony with “sustainable development.” The reason why this sort of thing happens may be that many people believe in a linkage between environment and their lives and they wish for keeping good environment in order to maintain their own livelihood. Under this condition, the distance between two ideas, in spite of their methodological differences, will be gradually shortened.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibilities of musical communication. To achieve this purpose，the “inner time” and the “rhythm,” which Schutz mentioned in his thesis of music, are considered. He discussed in “Making Music Together: A Study in Social Relationship” how “making music together” was achieved. He pointed out that all possible communication required an experience of the “We,” and the foundation of the experience was “sharing of the Other's flux of experiences in inner time.” Although he considered such foundation of people’s activity by phenomenological analysis, he did not refer to the “inner time” itself. This study, therefore, is concerned with events that occur in the “inner time” referring to Husserl’s phenomenology. How do individuals communicate with other people through the “inner time”? Schutz only mentioned that the clue to this question was the “rhythm.” This study shows a phenomenological structure of the synchronization between bodies in a musical process based on Husserl’s and Schutz’s theories. The synchronization occurs by workings between the “rhythm of music” and the “rhythm of physiological events within one’s body.” Musical communication, thus, is founded on the workings between the “rhythms” and sharing the “fabric woven by consciousness of retention” with others in the “inner time.”

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Social movements studies of sociology have not adequately responded the points for the studies that Rokurou Hidaka had suggested forty years ago. These are two main points to consider. One is a border between a theoretical problem and a practical one. The other is non-historical approach of the studies. But there have not been achievements about the points Then this paper refers to an argument between Kamon Nitagai and Takashi Nakano. This argument is named of “an argument about the relationship between researcher and the object”. Although the argument is often mentioned in connection with research ethics these days, this study positions it within the context of social movements studies. While pursuing the above argument, Nitagai focused on “Soukatsu” of activists, which are reflective and objectivisation of experiences in activities. He thought that one important condition of establishing subjectivity as a researcher is to participate in collective action with activists by presenting his research monograph of the movement. We concider this part of Nitagai’s work as a response to Hidaka’s former point. Conversely, Nakano developed life history method after出t argument. Thus we can think of Nakano’s work as a response to Hidaka’s latter point. Nakano exceeds the original scope of the point when he values personal history over that of a group or organization. Nevertheless, a investigation of the works resulted in the problem, which obscures who a subject of research and activity is. In other words, the explicit separation of the relation between theory (researcher) and practice (activists) is stereotyped. This is also true for the relation between activists (central) and ordinary people (marginal). Furthermore current social movements studies increase the distance from reality in movements. This paper examines the studies within their proper historical context and critically reevaluates the argument and subsequent works.

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There are multiple perspectives even within a current called “radical democracy” in contemporary democratic theories. Of these this paper focuses on the political theory of Ernesto Laclau. Laclau' s political theory has not been studied extensively in spite of his great influence on academism today. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to clarify how Laclau has developed his thinking and to examine the possibility of his democratic theory. In order to make these points clear, we shall take up the problem of “subject.” For, while Laclau understood subject as “subject position” in Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, in the later works he considered it as “subject of lack.” Through analyzing this change I would like to indicate that Laclau could connect his hegemony theory with deconstruction and suggest a new relationship between the universal and the particular. In conclusion, I consider how Laclau deepened his democratic theory by introducing “subject of lack” and clarify the meaning of radical democracy in his theory.

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Sociology helps us both to recognize and to design the reality of our society. We live with others that have multiple bodies, values, and beliefs. That plurality of our society is the cognitive starting point of normative social theory. The purpose of this theory is to inquire about the way various people can coexist. At the same time, some assert that we all share common values. In that sense we may find solidarity in the face of Summum Malum (the supreme evil) as we unite against it. Although this assertion is right on the whole, one problem remains: How do you define Summum Malum? Modern American philosopher Richard Rorty suggests that Summum Malum is cruelty. He claims that “cruelty” includes not only physical pain but also mental pain or “humiliation” as he calls it. This study takes a twofold approach to Rorty. Our initial inquiry is into both Rorty’s idea and a critique thereof by Eric Gander. Secondly, the paper outlines how it is difficult to avoid “humiliation” in actuality for various reasons. Nevertheless, I insist that the avoidance of mental pain must be though of as one of our public aims. ln order to achieve this aim it is helpful to listen to the voices of humiliated people.

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This paper examines Spivak’s critique of Foucault. Spivak criticizes that Foucault reintroduced the sovereign subject in spite of his objection to it in L’Archiologie du savoir. The main point of her criticism, however, focuses on Foucault’s lack of consideration for those who cannot be a speaking subject or a subject of resistance, not in the fact that his claim is inconsistent. Spivak’s argument is valuable because she questions how we should treat statements and actions, especially those of the oppressed or subaltern. In contrast to her interpretation, this study shows that Foucalt did not introduce the sovereign subject as such, and that Spivak and Foucault share a common stance on the treatment of statements and actions. A close examination reveals that this finding also lends more relevance Spivak’s analysis than simply asking: “Can the subaltern speak?”

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Today, the controversy about surveillance society is a popular topicin social science and beyond. Many researchers have referred to David Lyon’s surveillance study, yet his methodological background has not been considered in depth. Hence this study examines his theory within its original context. Thus the purpose of this paper is to explore the methodological background of David Lyon’s Surveillance Theory and to examine the following points: How was the notion of Ambivalence of Surveillance constructed, and what was its methodological background? David Lyon is the primary theorist in surveillance studies. As we shall see initially, Lyon’s Ambivalence of Surveillance is centered on his concept of surveillance and his surveillance study. These methods and perspectives may originate from Christian social ethics. In the second chapter we reexamine the context of his early surveillance study, which brought about the very notion of Ambivalence of Surveillance. Chapter three shows that his methods and perspectives leading to this notion already emerged when he studied the information society in the late l980’s. Moreover, in chapter four, we trace Lyon’s thought back to the original term, from the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s, and find that his ethical background was based on Christian social ethics. In chapter five we reconsider some solutions for the problems of surveillance society Lyon points out We also find that his methodological and ethical background affects those solutions. Finally, we conclude with a redefinition of Lyon's approach.

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It is said that Japanese multiculturalism neglects political power and doesn't aim at political change. Thought Japanese language class is a contact zone in which foreigners and Japanese meet in unequal relations, to build trust there is easier than to build it in other supporting organizations. Does Japanese language classes have the possibility to redress these unequal relations?
To investigate this assertion, I investigated a multicultural festival held by Z Japanese class in Z city in Nagano prefecture by observing the festival and interviewing the related parties. This festival asked foreigners to introduce their own nations by displaying posters and objects, and offering food at their booths and play music and dance on stage.
This report looks at the festival from various viewpoints: the Japanese organizer’s concept and management, the spectator's reactions and the participating foreigner’s reactions. The organizer aimed to develop “exchange on the same eye level” among the people at the festival. The attempt failed, however. The organizer erased the actual, current reality of foreign residents in Japan, but demanded to create touristic presentations of each “nation”, and thus, in affinity with the organizer, the Japanese spectators’ gaze became that of tourists. As a result, uncomfortable feeling and complaints of foreigners were concealed and gap of gazes were created between Japanese and foreigners.
Why did the multicultural festival limit to a touristic gaze and left foreigners' uncomfortable feeling and complaints unseen? I will look at this problem to analyze the present state of multiculturalism among volunteers and citizens in Japan.

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How do the sociologists analyze the embodied practice? This essay discusses this matter. As a study of Pierre Bourdieu clarified, the pre-reflective practice in daily life plays an important role of social reproduction. However, it is hard for an agent to explain his own behavior, practice and habitus, because such action is tacit and pre-reflexsive. In this essay, I examine Nick Crossley’s body theory from a viewpoint of how to understand such practice. Crossley emphasizes reflection and reflexive characteristics of the practice whereas Bourdieu emphasizes pre-reflective characteristics of habitus. Crossley submits a “reflexive body techniques” to comprehend both mindful and social aspects in the practice and the body technique, considering the theory of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Marcel Mauss and George Herbert Mead. Crossley attemps to analyze the daily practice and the body technique without reducing them to discourse and behavior. Thus, Crossley seeks to apprehend the bodily life which cannot be reduced to subjectivity and objectivity. Such an argument shows a new viewpoint on body theory in sociology.

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This paper aims at summarizing and reconstructing the development process of the Touraine sociology, with a special attention to its core thesis. According to the Touraine sociology, potentially there is one core ‘cultural model’ and one core ‘social rapport’ around the model in each societal type.
‘Action Sociology’ that was against functionalism about social system in the early Touraine sociology, suggests that in industrial societies, enterprises and syndicalism of control create a core social rapport around the core cultural model (namely, production and evolution), while in post-industrial societies, technocrats and anti-technocracy movements make a core social rapport around the orientation of information and knowledge. However, these hypotheses were only verified partially, which made the Touraine reconsider their theories. Nonetheless, it does not mean that they are changing their aforementioned core thesis. The core thesis can lead to the formation of Sociology with social movement in the center. Finally, this paper attempts to show the possibility of how to de-frenchify the Touraine sociology through welfare regime theory.

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The purpose of this paper is to rethink the meanings of ‘Cultural Turn’ in Benedict Anderson’s and Anthony P. Cohen’s community theory. As virtual human relationships are developed, or contemporary thought, namely postmodernism, is spread, many theories no longer define community in terms of direct human relationships and inter-actions. Thus, Anderson points out the significance of the imagination of the members of the community, and Cohen emphasizes the symbolic construction of the community. Hence, both are regarded as post-modern community theorists. In addition, Gerard Delanty focuses on the ‘Cultural Turn’ in their theories. But should we regard both Anderson and Cohen as post-modern theorists and thus emphasize their theories’ similarities? With this question in mind, we turn to examine the differences between their theories. Initially, we find that Anderson’s theory is implicitly based on a tacit knowledge of modern, namely ‘visual metaphors’, referring to Anthony Giddens, John Urry, and Richard Rorty. We then highlight the differences between Anderson and Cohen. Moreover, we examine Cohen’s remarkable post-modern approach in light of Slavoj Žižek theory on ideology. In the course of this study, we will rethink the meanings of the ‘Cultural Turn’ in community theory and propose a new criterion for thinking about community theory and community today.

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