Science of Thought and the Culture of Democracy in Postwar Japan, 1946-1962

This dissertation examines efforts to foster a culture of democracy in postwar Japan, focusing on Science of Thought, one of the most influential associations engaged in publicly rethinking democracy in the years after fascism and defeat. The group was founded in 1946 by seven young intellectuals whose wartime experiences had convinced them of the urgent need to bridge the gap between the world of intellectuals and that of "ordinary people." My dissertation shows how the group's many attempts to realize that goal embodied a vision of democratic experimentation that had to be re-articulated again and again in response to challenges that arose in connection with geopolitical events and also with the social changes that accompanied economic recovery and growth. For Science of Thought, democracy was not something that could be decreed by occupation authorities or conjured into existence by the media. Its seeds had to be sought in the "thought" (shisô) of the "man on the street." Contributors to the group's journal espoused a "science of thought" capable of enabling researchers to discover the mental worlds and implicit philosophies of ordinary people. Drawing methodological insight from American pragmatist philosophy and social science, the group conducted statistical surveys and interviews, and produced content analyses of popular movies, novels, and comic books in an unusual experiment to probe the mind of the "common man." In the charged political context of the early fifties, members of the group searched for new ways to nurture democracy from the grassroots. Inspired by the apparent success of the ongoing social revolution in China, members began promoting and facilitating educational and cultural movements underway in the Japanese countryside. In the process, Science of Thought became an anchor for a nation-wide network of factory workers, engineers, students, and housewives linked together by reading groups and writing circles. As economic growth began to transform Japanese society in the late fifties and early sixties, the group's earlier faith in the inherent democratic pragmatism of ordinary people gave way to promoting a more oppositional stance, embodied in the classless ideal of the citizen-activist confronting the pressures of conformism in mass society and white-collar life. On the basis of this ideal, the group became an enthusiastic supporter of the large-scale protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty in 1960, which marked the beginning of citizen movements that influenced Japanese civil society in the subsequent decades. The evolution of the group from a small research circle into a standard-bearer for citizen's activism in the sixties can be seen as a metonym for the experience of postwar progressives, an experience that included moments of pro-Enlightenment optimism and anti-American nationalism. Rather than through developing a specific theory of democracy or citizenship, the significance of Science of Thought lay in the way it exemplified democracy in practice. The accumulated practical experience of the intellectuals and citizens associated with the group remains relevant to those who continue to grapple with the dilemmas of democracy today

Fish-Eating Birds on Catfish Ponds in the Mississippi Delta

Catfish acreage in the Mississippi Delta has significantly declined in the past two decades, but cormorant density on catfish ponds has remained the same. One possible explanation is that there are fewer cormorants in the region, and this is supported with decreasing roost counts. Cormorant roost harassment can be even more effective today than in the past, because there is less aquaculture acreage to protect and fewer cormorants to move. Roost harassment is important over the entire winter, but even more so around mid-January when cormorant abundance is greatest and when cormorants are more focused on aquaculture ponds. The addition of limited lethal management on ponds and roosts may make dispersal efforts more effective. Understanding which ponds fish-eating birds decide to use is important for effective management at catfish farms. Many pond characteristics influence use by cormorants, herons, and egrets. What is in the pond and what is around the pond are things these birds take into consideration. From this work, it is possible to produce a “heat map” of farms showing the probability that each bird species will use a given pond (Figure 6). Paying more attention to ponds with higher probabilities of damage may help bird harassment efficiency on the farm and reduce depredation

Historic and contemporary use of catfish aquaculture by piscivorous birds in the Mississippi Delta

Piscivorous birds are the primary source of catfish (Ictalurus spp.) depredation at aquaculture facilities in northwestern Mississippi. Of particular concern is the Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), which can cost aquaculture producers millions of dollars annually through the depredation of cultured fish. Historical research conducted in the early 2000s estimated cormorant use of aquaculture ponds in the region, but aquaculture area has decreased by more than 70% since those estimates were made. With less aquaculture available, we predicted cormorant densities on aquaculture would be greater today than historically. Applying a similar methodology as in historical studies, we used aerial surveys to collect data on cormorants at night roosts and using catfish aquaculture ponds during 3 consecutive winter seasons, beginning in 2015. Although the mean annual number of cormorants at roosts in the Delta during our study was 64% less than historically, we found no significant change in densities on aquaculture, suggesting that aquaculture area is likely the factor influencing cormorant occurrence in northwestern Mississippi. During contemporary surveys we also measured the abundance of Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) and Great Egrets (A. alba) on the aquaculture clusters, and built predictive models of abundance relative to variables associated with forage at and surrounding the clusters. We found abundance of all 3 species was strongly related to the amount of aquaculture area both within and surrounding a cluster, although patterns varied by species. Cormorant abundance was also greater on clusters with proportionately more food fish (≥20 cm in length) than fingerlings (\u3c20 cm) and was positively related to the proximity and size of night roosts. The relationships described here can be used by producers and wildlife managers to predict the abundance of these piscivorous birds at aquaculture facilities and to design efficient management plans to mitigate potential impacts of depredation and disease

Piscivorous Bird Use of Aquaculture and Natural Water Bodies in Mississippi

Double crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and great egrets (Ardea alba) have an extensive history of human wildlife conflict with the aquaculture industry of western Mississippi, USA, due to their depredation of cultured catfish (Ictalurus spp.). Although aquaculture is abundant, western Mississippi also contains naturally occurring water bodies that offer alternative forage opportunities to these species. How cormorants or egrets distribute themselves among these 2 foraging options is unknown, but it has been generally assumed each species uses aquaculture disproportionately more because of the high density of available prey. To test this assumption, we surveyed these species on aquaculture and naturally occurring water bodies using aerial surveys from October through April of 2015–2016, 2016–2017, and 2017–2018. We modeled the proportion of each species on aquaculture as a function of year, date, and weather-related variables using quasi binomial generalized linear models. Egrets used aquaculture consistently more than what was proportionally available to them and use was not influenced by any of the variables we measured. Proportional use of aquaculture by cormorants was lowest during October through January but steadily increased through April, indicating a distribution shift toward aquaculture in the months immediately prior to their migration. The highest proportional use of aquaculture by cormorants occurred in 2016, a year when lethal control measures were not allowed against cormorants. Conversely, the least proportion of cormorants on aquaculture was in 2015 when cormorants could be lethally controlled under authority of an Aquaculture Depredation Order. This trend highlights the potential influence of changes in mortality risk, caused by changes in policy regarding lethal take of cormorants, on cormorant distribution between foraging option

Long term changes in aquaculture influence migration, regional abundance, and distribution of an avian species

Agricultural development has been causing changes to the environment and the abundance and distribution of avian species. Agriculture is dynamic with changes in products occurring at large scales over relatively short time periods. The catfish aquaculture industry is one such agriculture industry that has undergone dramatic changes over the last 25 years. The double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a piscivorous bird that has an extensive history with the aquaculture industry of Mississippi due to its depredation of cultured catfish. A large-scale monitoring program began in 1989 to estimate the abundance and location of cormorants at every known roost in the primary catfish producing region of the state, regionally known as the Delta. We used this data set to address hypotheses pertaining to cormorant ecology within the Delta over time, particularly in relation to aquaculture. We found that, although the Midwest breeding population of cormorants has been increasing, the abundance of cormorants wintering in the Delta has been decreasing, closely following the decline of aquaculture, suggesting aquaculture area is the primary reason for cormorant inhabitation of the region. We also modeled cormorant presence and abundance at all roost sites to determine what factors most influenced cormorant distribution. Aquaculture area around roosts was a significant predictor of both cormorant presence and abundance. However, the influence of aquaculture area was seasonally dependent, with greater positive influences occurring prior to migration. Lastly, we found peak cormorant abundance in the Delta is occurring 2.14 days earlier each year, which may be indicative of changes to migration phenology. Information gained using this large dataset aids in cormorant damage mitigation and to further our understanding of cormorant ecology. Data indicate changes in agriculture, and potentially climate change, can influence phenology, distribution, and abundance of avian species at large geographic scales

Fine Scale Characteristics of Catfish Aquaculture Ponds Influencing Use by Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in Northwest Mississippi

Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) are the main source of depredation at catfish aquaculture facilities in Northwest Mississippi, resulting in significant economic loss. Understanding factors related to pond selection by cormorants could aid in mitigation practices to minimize further loss. We constructed occupancy models to estimate the probability of cormorant presence on catfish ponds against multiple variables associated with each ponds physical surroundings and internal conditions. We also explored cormorant use of aquaculture and natural habitat by using logistic regression to model the proportion of cormorants on aquaculture compared to natural habitat and influences of seasonal variation. Cormorant presence data was collected by aerial survey (n=35) from October to April, of 2015-2017, accounting for an average of 973 catfish ponds and 26 natural water bodies each year. Our results indicate ponds located farther away from trees and activity centers, such as farm workshops, have a higher probability of cormorant use. Larger ponds, and ponds nearer the edge of pond clusters also have an increased probability of use. Specific pond contents influenced cormorant use, including fish species cultured, pond systems, and fish types. From October through January cormorants were distributed more on natural habitat. However, cormorants’ proportional use of aquaculture steadily increased beginning in February. This temporal shift from natural habitat toward aquaculture coincides with cormorant spring migration, indicating an increase in foraging of catfish in preparation for the migration north