4　沖縄のヤンキーの若者と地元　建設業と製造業の違いに着目して

抄録

In Japan, Yankee refers to a cultural group of underclass youths. This paper explores the process by which Yankee youth enter the construction industry through local communities on the periphery of Okinawan society. I argue that, because of family and social connections, this process qualitatively differs from that of Yankee youth working in the manufacturing industry on the periphery of mainland Japanese society. Differences arise from the division between the construction industry, which is the key industry in Okinawa, and the manufacturing industry, which has a stronger foothold in mainland Japan.

After World War II, Japanese management styles and welfare systems were established by the majority blue-collar class. Specifically, they were led by large manufacturing companies and supported by subcontractors. Mainland Yankee youth enjoyed a relatively smooth transition from school to factory employment because of the close relationship between them.

In Okinawa, manufacturing plays a smaller role in the industrial structure, and construction companies are generally small- and medium-sized businesses that subcontract from large general contractors. These companies have sought to survive in an unstable environment by employing their juniors from the local community. Through this process, a culture and social relationship between local seniors, “shiijya,” and juniors, “uttu,” has emerged.

On the mainland, schools perform an employment distribution function and families and companies perform a welfare function. However, in the process of Yankee youth transitioning into the construction industry, schools and families no longer perform these functions. Amid systemic and historical constraints, those who pursue employment in the construction industry have developed unique social relationships and culture.

The social relationships sustaining cultural reproduction within the construction industry are distinct from those on the mainland. This qualitative difference occurs outside the cultural reproduction of the mainland’ s blue-collar class, which is sustained by company, school, and family. Neglecting to address this unjust situation and these unjust relationships, and continuing to appropriate that relationship back to its source, leads to continuing structural discrimination.