ビジネス誌が啓発する「力」に関する一考察

──社会的実践としての「力」をめぐる表現の分析──

抄録

Since the latter half of the 1990s, new expressions have appeared concerning ability in labor and education. These expressions of ability do not only reflect the transformation of the contemporary dominant ability model. The expressions themselves are social processes, and they are social practices that structure the dominant ability model anew. From these points of view, this paper will analyze expressions of ability as a social practice, and examine and consider the social significance of the expressions of ability empirically. As a result of the analysis, the following points were extracted.

Firstly, the routine of magazine editing is a reflexive process which incorporates trends from all different forms of media. Therefore special features on business ability are produced based on trends from these media. They consequently reflect the dominant ability model that precedent studies have described. Secondly, in special features on business ability, company managers and office workers of well-known organizations frequently appear as the embodiers of the ability. In addition, experts that have specific dispositions frequently construct, define and rate the ability. Thirdly, in these special features, specific “relationships to oneself” are frequently seen. The relationships are that transformations of character and emotion into ability, based on self-monitoring and self-control, assist in engaging oneself positively and maximizing the potential nature of the self. These are psychologized “relationships to oneself.” Such monitoring, control, engaging oneself positively, and maximization of potential nature, are an intention for the whole process of labor.

These special features on business ability seem to be a transient trend, but it is clear that there are various aspects of cultural arbitrariness involved. It may be said that one of the tasks of the sociology of education today is to prepare a blueprint based on a comprehensive theoretical framework of such cultural arbitrariness and the actual situation. In this article, I show that Bourdieuʼs theoretical framework of symbolic struggle is one such framework.