YAZAWA Shujiro

YAZAWA, Shujiro

11680

Seijo University Repository / 成城大学リポジトリ

Journal of Glocal StudiesNo.5 (2018) 23-25For Globalizing Social Science:An Introduction to the Special IssueShujiro YazawaProfessor Emeritus,Seijo University/Hitotsubashi Universitysyazawa@seijo.ac.jp（Received 20 December 2017. Accepted 2 February 2018）This special issue of Journal of Glocal Studies at Seijo University is a product of aone-day international conference. The conference entitled Toward Post-WesternSociologies: East-West Dialogue was held at Seijo University on October 22nd, 2017.Since publication of the Gulbenkian Commission report, Open Social Sciences, edited byImmanuel Wallerstein and others (Wallerstein I./ Juma C./ Fox Keller/ E.F./ Kocka, J./ Lecourt, D./ Mudimbe, V.Y./ Mushakoji, K./ Prigogin, I. / Tayler, P./ Trouiliot, M-R.(1996): Open the Social Science. Report of the Gulbenkian Commission on theRestructuring of the Social Sciences. Stanford: Stanford University Press)., variousattempts at globalizing social science have been going on. We are now at the stage ofevaluating the main products of those attempts and preparing for the next stage of ourinvestigation.The aim of the one-day international conference was to provide materials forconducting this task through a dialogue between two Eastern sociologists and two Frenchsociologists.The first speaker was professor Laurence Roulleau-Berger who is the researchdirector of CNRS and director of the International Associated Laboratory CNRS-ENSLyon. She has published an important book, Post-Western Revolution in Sociology:From China to Europe (Leiden: Brill, 2016).Her main strategy for the globalizing of social science is to construct epistemologicalspace where Western social scientists and Asian social scientists can break epistemichierarchy and imbalance through various sociological practices, mainly joint research.23This strategy proposes “the manufacture of knowledge inherited from both Westernand Eastern traditions- situated and universal, local and global.” It is different from themain trends of Global Studies which tend to become “European critique ofEurocentrism.” This strategy is “relational, dialogue-based and multi- situated.” (p. 7)Therefore it is also different from post- colonial studies which favor “term for termstructural comparison” and hegemonism. Her paper in this issue is one of her attempts toelaborate critical points of her Post-Western Sociology.The second speaker was Stéphane Dufoix, Professor of Sociology, University ofParis at Nanterre. His recent academic interest is to produce non-hegemonic socialscience. In order to prepare for it, he has been analyzing “global’s academic birth”, thehistory of the birth of academic in local, regional and global settings. His paper in thisissue is a part of this project. Now, along with Eric Mace, he is organizing a globalnetwork of scholars who are working for globalizing social science through variousworkshops on this matter (Projet en cours : discussion international. Toward ANon-Hegemonic World Sociology Blog. http:/ / tonhewosoc.hypotheses.org/ ). He is alsoa political sociologist.The third speaker was Makoto Minami, Professor of Sociology at NagasakiUniversity. Although he did not explain his theoretical framework in detail at theconference, he discussed the relationship between the concept of generative boundaryculture and Post-Western Sociology in his paper in this issue. Unfortunately, we did notget to have a discussion on the concept due to lack of time. But to my understanding, itwill probably become an integral part of Post-Western Sociology.The last speaker was Professor Kazuhisa Nishihara, Professor of Sociology at SeijoUniversity. His presentation was very stimulating and his paper in this issue is a radicalchallenge not only to contemporary Japanese sociology but also to established sociologiesin the world. His proposal for grasping the Okinawa problem as a problem of North EastAsian Society, as a transnational society rather than a society within nation state, is veryinteresting. We are waiting for further theoretical elaboration of his transnationalistsociology.One of my intentions in organizing this conference was, of course, to introducePost-Western Sociology to the social science world in Japan and Asia. Creatingepistemological space by correcting epistemological imbalance and injustice cannot beachieved by mere academic theoretical investigation. We need various kinds ofsociological practices such as joint research, conferences, workshops, networks,associations and reform of institutions. Post-Western Sociology must be carried out bythese sociological practices.24In this context, the establishment of the East Asian Sociological Association (EASA)is timely and important. EASA will establish a resource called Research Network (RN)which will be a gateway to an epistemological space free of imbalance and injustice. Tomy understanding, Post-Western Sociology is a glocal social science.25

For Globalizing Social Science : An Introduction to the Special Issue (Special Section : Toward Post-Western Sociologies : East-West Dialogue)

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For Globalizing Social Science : An Introduction to the Special Issue (Special Section : Toward Post-Western Sociologies : East-West Dialogue)

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