Reexamination of “Life Structure Theory”

Towards a study of life politics in late modernity

Abstract

In this paper, the possibilities of Yoshiya Soeda’s “life structure theory” as a perspective for understanding the activities of people who are positioned be- tween individualization and solidarity in late modernity are examined. In doing so, the modern possibilities of his theory will be pointed out while keeping in mind the new lifestyles that have emerged since the 2000s. Specifically, an overview of urban sociology research in Japan is provided and “shu-katsu（end- of-life activities）” is taken as a specific example of the practice of “colonizing the future” in old age. In this process, his theory is positioned as having the po- tential to analyze aspects of life politics in which lifestyles are forced upon peo-ple. Additionally, the perspective of “life planning” to understand the desire to place one’s own life on a firm basis independently and stabilize one’s life for the future is examined. Finally, it will be shown that it is possible to apply Soe- da’s “life structure theory” to things other than pursuing a lifestyle in old age. Therefore, Soeda’s perspective of “life structure theory” is positioned as a re- flection of how people living in the late modern period deal with problems re- lated to life, welfare, and culture. The intention is to tentatively develop the parts of Yoshiya Soeda’s sociological achievements that should be passed on to future generations.