Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan

This study incorporates Honneth’s social recognition into awareness context theory by reconsidering a case study of the dialogue between Zainichi Korean and Japanese people in Japan. It revitalizes the theoretical significance of Strauss’ symbolic interactionism in terms of its focus on power dynami...

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Main Author: Ken’ichi Yamaguchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lodz University Press 2023-08-01
Series:Qualitative Sociology Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/18795
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author Ken’ichi Yamaguchi
author_facet Ken’ichi Yamaguchi
author_sort Ken’ichi Yamaguchi
collection DOAJ
description This study incorporates Honneth’s social recognition into awareness context theory by reconsidering a case study of the dialogue between Zainichi Korean and Japanese people in Japan. It revitalizes the theoretical significance of Strauss’ symbolic interactionism in terms of its focus on power dynamics and conflicts between the majority and minorities that differ in the cultural or ethnic background in modern global society. Incorporating critical theory into symbolic interactionism is a method of enhancing its contemporary significance. However, the discrepancy between them remains unresolved. There are some previous studies on Zainichi Koreans’ dialogue and the public sphere. Still, this case uniquely fits the aim of this study. As a result, it proposes both a substantive theory as a social justice inquiry in Japanese society and a modified formal theory of awareness context by adopting the theoretical perspective coined in this study and using abductive reasoning in the reconsideration. The substantive theory proposes a joint action characterized by unending mutual recognition and pragmatist dissent as a pragmatist public sphere between different ethnic persons in Japan. It is a method of grassroots communication that realizes liberal democracy as the form of modern society in Japan, liberating people from the Japanese communitarian mindset of Wa. The formal theory proposes new awareness contexts focusing on information and social recognition, which applies to the majority-minority relationship that differs in cultural or ethnic backgrounds from a theoretical perspective by focusing on conflicts between traditional cultural communities and modern society. Additionally, as an implication of this study, a pluralistic character of symbolic interactionism united by common frameworks of formal theories is proposed.
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spelling doaj.art-722ef77f00cf4bb2913dd5708aafd9782023-08-04T06:07:52ZengLodz University PressQualitative Sociology Review1733-80772023-08-01193749410.18778/1733-8077.19.3.0418597Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in JapanKen’ichi Yamaguchi0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4348-3853Fukuyama City University, Japan This study incorporates Honneth’s social recognition into awareness context theory by reconsidering a case study of the dialogue between Zainichi Korean and Japanese people in Japan. It revitalizes the theoretical significance of Strauss’ symbolic interactionism in terms of its focus on power dynamics and conflicts between the majority and minorities that differ in the cultural or ethnic background in modern global society. Incorporating critical theory into symbolic interactionism is a method of enhancing its contemporary significance. However, the discrepancy between them remains unresolved. There are some previous studies on Zainichi Koreans’ dialogue and the public sphere. Still, this case uniquely fits the aim of this study. As a result, it proposes both a substantive theory as a social justice inquiry in Japanese society and a modified formal theory of awareness context by adopting the theoretical perspective coined in this study and using abductive reasoning in the reconsideration. The substantive theory proposes a joint action characterized by unending mutual recognition and pragmatist dissent as a pragmatist public sphere between different ethnic persons in Japan. It is a method of grassroots communication that realizes liberal democracy as the form of modern society in Japan, liberating people from the Japanese communitarian mindset of Wa. The formal theory proposes new awareness contexts focusing on information and social recognition, which applies to the majority-minority relationship that differs in cultural or ethnic backgrounds from a theoretical perspective by focusing on conflicts between traditional cultural communities and modern society. Additionally, as an implication of this study, a pluralistic character of symbolic interactionism united by common frameworks of formal theories is proposed.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/18795awareness contextsocial recognitionconsensussymbolic interactionismgrounded theorycritical theorysocial justice inquiryzainichi koreanconflicts between traditional cultural community and modern society
spellingShingle Ken’ichi Yamaguchi
Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan
Qualitative Sociology Review
awareness context
social recognition
consensus
symbolic interactionism
grounded theory
critical theory
social justice inquiry
zainichi korean
conflicts between traditional cultural community and modern society
title Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan
title_full Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan
title_fullStr Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan
title_full_unstemmed Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan
title_short Awareness Context and Social Recognition: Reconsidering a Case Study of “Dialogue” between Different Ethnic Persons in Japan
title_sort awareness context and social recognition reconsidering a case study of dialogue between different ethnic persons in japan
topic awareness context
social recognition
consensus
symbolic interactionism
grounded theory
critical theory
social justice inquiry
zainichi korean
conflicts between traditional cultural community and modern society
url https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/18795
work_keys_str_mv AT kenichiyamaguchi awarenesscontextandsocialrecognitionreconsideringacasestudyofdialoguebetweendifferentethnicpersonsinjapan