Researcher Database

（Last updated : 2022-04-05 13:22:04）

HIGURASHI Masao

Department / Course College of Social Sciences Department of Social Sciences

Title / Position Professor

Other Affiliations
1.	Graduate School of Sociology
2.	Kinugasa Research Organization Research Center for Intercultural Phenomenology

Academic background
1.	2009/01 Degree Acquisition	│ Waseda University doctor
2.	1986/03 Degree Acquisition	│ Waseda University master
3.	1982/03 Degree Acquisition	│ Waseda University bachelor
4.	～1982/03	Philosophy │ School of Literature I │ Waseda University │ Graduated
5.	～1986	Master Course │ philosophy │ Graduate School, Division of Letters │ Waseda University │ Completed

Research activities
1.		The Society for the History of Social Thoughts
2.		The Association for the Socio-Culture
3.		The Society for Sociological Theory in Japan
4.		Japan Society for the Study of Materialism

Subject of research
1.	Development of Critical Social Theories related to Japanese social situations
2.	Research on Critical Social Theories in Germany,America,etc.
3.	Research on social cultures

Research summary
Establishment of critical social theory in Japan I establish the critical social theory in Japan from the following 3 viewpoints: ① A research on critical social theory in Germany and the U.S., etc. I analyze and consider the critical social theories that were established by J. Habermas and A. Honneth in Germany, and N. Fraser, S. Benhabib, J. Alexander, etc. in the U.S. Among them, I particularly focus on J. Habermas's theory of communicative action and Honneth's theory of recognition. (I will discuss Habermas in terms of the development from discourse ethics to social theory, theory of public sphere and theory of civil society, and discuss Honneth in terms of the labor and value evaluation, and general underpinnings of recognition.) ②Development of critical social theory in terms of the situation of Japan I will analyze the individual situation in Japanese society using the method to criticize modern societies that is clarified though their research on theory. Among them, I will clarify the difference of the social structure and theory formation between Japan and Europe. I would like to consider various problems of the labor situations that emerged in modern Japan by taking up particularly "Labor and Recognition" out of various subjects (disparate society, irregular employment, financial instability, etc.) from the viewpoints of theory of recognition and criticism of neo-liberalism. (Furthermore, I will analyze how the labor disparity, recognition disparity, poverty and "Difficulties in their Lives" are expressed in the popular culture of the youth in particular.) ③ A research on social culture I research various phenomena and pathology concerning social culture, mass culture and popular culture and various theories to analyze them by using the viewpoints and methods of critical theory of society. I analyze the theories including theory of Adorno who belongs to the first generation of the Frankfurt School, Benjamin's theory of mass culture (theory of reproduction culture), Marcuse's criticism of civilization, colonization theory of Habermas who belongs to the second generation, pathology theory of Honneth who belongs to the third generation, E.P. Thompson's and Stuart Hall's theories that are the origins of cultural studies (audience activity, etc.) and Baudrillard's consumer society theory, etc.

Present specialized field
History of Thought, Philosophy/Ethics, Sociology (Keyword：Critical Social Theories, Frankfuter School, Habermas, Honneth, Frazer, Benhabib, communication, recognition, work, neo-liberalism, social culture, popular cultures, Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse, cultural studies, Tompson, Hall)

Books
1.	2014/10	Jurgen Habermas "Between naturalism and religion │ ,pp.1-9, 93-116, 304-348, 393～399 (Co-authored)

Papers
1.	2016/09	Axel Honneth’s Critique of Neoliberalism │ Ritsumeikan Social Sciences Review │ 52 (2),pp.1-11 (Sole-authored)
2.	2014/12	On the Notion of "Civil Society" in the Frankfurt School: Habermas and Honneth │ Studien zu Hegels Philosophie │ 20,pp.45-54 (Sole-authored)

Academic conference presentation
1.	2121/03/13	J.Habermas’ Theory of Civil Society, and East Asia
2.	2019/03/19	Leipniz Lecture, Prof.Dr.Rainer Forst and presentation Dr.Mahmoud Bassiouni und Dr.Eva Buddeberg, Panel-Discussion with Prof.Dr.Masao Higurashi,Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto. (Leipniz Lecture)
3.	2018/11/16	The Notion of Neoliberalism in the Critical Social Theory: Honneth and Fraser (Humanities and Social Sciences Association, University of Calfornia, Berkeley)
4.	2017/02/18	“Critique of Neoliberalism from the Standpoint of Critical Social Theory” (International Postgraduate And Academic Conference 2017, Session for Academic Researchers)
5.	2016/03/14	Axel Honneth’s Critique of Neoliberalism (“Critical Theory” Today: Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recogmnition, “International Scholar Lecture Series" Chung-Ang Institute of Sociology, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea)
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Department laboratory expense researcher number
70222239

researchmap Researcher code
1000166671