Whose Community Is This? A Critical Study of the Impact of Globalization on Contemporary Liberal Democratic Society The Case of Okubo, Tokyo

Author

Sho Sakai

Date of Award

2003

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Tegtmeyer-Pak, Katherine

Keywords

Globalism, Immigration, Public Sphere

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

This thesis studies notions of membership in a local society in the age of globalization, focusing on the idea of public. Scholars argue that the recent trends of socio-economic globalization have had a significant impact on the role of the state, as well as the relationship between society and the state. This paper specifically studies the way people respond to the changes in their everyday lives as a consequence of globalization. My hypothesis is that as globalization changes the way people think and act, people interpret and express via a normative view of society. Particular ideologies of social organizations filter the impact of globalization as it is expressed through public policies, social movements, and social interactions. Focusing on the case of Okubo, a multi-ethnic community in Tokyo, this study analyzes the residents' perceptions and reactions to the changes that Okubo has experienced as a consequence of the rapid influx of foreign residents, with a particular emphasis on the differences in people's normative views of Okubo society. My study of Okubo especially focuses on a local citizens' NGO, Kyojukon and their ideology, which advocates the creation of a multicultural community in Okubo based on their universalistic notion of membership to the local society.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS