抄録
This paper seeks to clarify the achievements and problems in theoretical studies of social conflicts recently developed in Japan. From the many works dealing with social conflicts from various points of view, I have specifically selected scholars of law for review of their achievements. They include Takeyoshi Kawashima, Masaji Chiba, Kazuko Hirose and Takao Tanase.
There are of course other scholars from other fields, but the four which I review here are understood to be the most significant ones for the special purpose of the author, that purpase being to explore the theoy of social conflict in terms of its connection with law.
Based upon the review of the relevent works, the four scholars are divided into two groups in respect to the difference in the concept of conflict. That is to say, Kawashima and Hirose (and another one, Naoki Komuro, may be added) assume discrimination between conflict and order, while Chiba and Tanase emphasize their co-existence or their existence on a continuum. The author regards the difference as originating in their basic methodologies in observing und analyzing social conflict. The former scholars tend to rely upon system theory, whether Parsonian or not, while the latter scholars seem to have more or less doubts about direct applicaton of system theory to social conflicts.
The author concludes the study by slating that he finds more prospects for the latter approach than for the former approach in the interest of an efficient development of the study.
