<論文>戦後日本における「勤労青年」文化 : 「若い根っこの会」会員手記に見る人生観の変容

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  • <ARTICLES>Culture of Young Laborers in Post-War Japan : Change in the View on Life from the Notes of 'Wakai-Nekko-no-Kai' Members

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In this paper, I shall survey the changes of working youths' social consciousness during the 1960s, by analyzing notes of a young people's association called 'Wakai-Nekko-no-Kai'. In the 1960s the word 'seinen', which stood for younger generation, was gradually displaced by the word 'wakamono'. Formerly, the word 'wakamono' referred to both those who have jobs and those who do not, while in 1970s it came to represent only those who were in the moratorium period. Former researchers of post-war youth cultures have dealt with the issue of 'wakamono' after the 1960s, but not the above-stated process of unification then. This study intends to overcome these limitations by focusing upon the historical transformations in the cultures of young laborers, especially 'Wakai-Nekko-no-Kai'. Hideo Kato founded an association called 'Asunaro-Kai' in 1952, and then, their activities were taken up by an association 'Wakai-Nekko-no-Kai' in 1959. The 1960s was its heyday, when they had as many as 32, 000 members all over Japan, and their activities attracted a lot of media concern. By investigating the notes of the members, I have found out following changes in the culture of young laborers in the 1960s: firstly, depictions of poverty, illness or severe work conditions have started to decrease since 1967. Secondly, direct association of hardship to the attainment of happiness or improvement of his/her character also disappeared. It follows that the ideology of hard working becomes weakened, and that a new attitude emerges where greater importance was attached to one's private life. Thirdly, motives of joining 'Wakai-Nekko-no-Kai' changed from fortification of a will to confront harsh reality to making memories. To explain these changes in young people's view on life, I have identified two social factors: firstly, due to Japan's rapid economic growth in 1960s, wages rose and poverty decreased. Secondly, as opportunities of higher education expanded, there was not the same amount of young people who would support older view of life. Japan's economic growth has caused great changes on our life and social consciousness since the 1960s. It is time when we should look back at what has happened and take them as an object of sociological consideration. This is the first attempt of it.

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