Abstract
In this article, I examine the works of sociologist Kurihara Akira because I consider his work as a continuation of the Japanese academic tradition of "civil society research." When he began conducting his research, Kurihara espoused E. H. Erikson's concept of identity. Usually, this concept is understood as a tough and stable psychological state that is established when an individual resolves the conflicts that arise in each stage of life. According to this understanding, establishing an identity is a problem that concerns the individual's psychological process. However, Kurihara's concept of identity differs from the usual understanding.
During the 1960s, E. H. Erikson participated in the U. S. Civil Rights Movement and contributed to young African Americans'attainment of rights. Kurihara, who was staying in the U. S. during the same period, was very impressed by Erikson's activities and learned the immense utility of the concept of identity when researching young people's activities of self-identification during a historical event such as the Civil Right Movement. Therefore, for Kurihara, the concept of identity is a strategic one that enables us to simultaneously analyze the behavior of individuals and historical social actualities.
With this understanding of the concept of identity in mind, Kurihara tried to analyze the behavior and social background of political leader Konoe Ayamaro in pre-war Japan. Next, he analyzed the situation of young Japanese people in the 1970s for whom affluence came with the oppressing atmosphere of a well-programmed and managed society. Moreover, he recently spent a great deal of time researching those afflicted with Minamata and attempted to reveal a new perspective concerning their style of protesting against the governmentcorporation complex.
