Soeda-sensei’s Sociology

On “writing a thesis” in sociology

Abstract

In his work, Yoshiya Soeda-sensei aimed for a brand of sociology that was fo- cused on understanding, based on his belief in the effectiveness of the field as a discipline to gain insight into the nature of people and society. In the interest of his own self-actualization, as well as for the advancement of sociological re- search, including the sociology of welfare, Soeda-sensei never neglected his ef- forts to “write a thesis” on sociology, including the very process of understand- ing and expression. To do work that would contribute to the understanding of people and society for his present and future readers, he consciously and ac- tively leveraged his comprehension that approaches the reality of the whole and its parts, as well as his ability to express himself freely and unencumbered by the constraints of sociology. 　What can we, as successors of Soeda-sensei’s work, inherit? The answer found in the discussion of this paper is as follows: the attitude and practice of making all efforts to tirelessly “write a thesis” for the sake of self-actualization and the advancement of sociological research by learning about the understand- ing of the subject and how to express that understanding.