Post-Fukushima Activism

Politics and Knowledge in the Age of Precarity

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Social Science
Cover of the book Post-Fukushima Activism by Azumi Tamura, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Azumi Tamura ISBN: 9781351654067
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: May 23, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Azumi Tamura
ISBN: 9781351654067
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: May 23, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Political disillusionment is widespread in contemporary society. In Japan, the search for the ‘outside’ of a stagnant reality sometimes leads marginalised young people to a disastrous image of social change. The Fukushima nuclear disaster was the realisation of such an image, triggering the largest wave of activism since the 1960s. The disaster revealed the interconnected nature of contemporary society. The protesters regretted that their past indifference to politics prefigured such a catastrophe and became motivated to protest in the streets. They did not share any totalising ideology or predetermined collective identity. Instead, the activism provided a space for each body to encounter others who forced them to feel and think, which also introduced an ethical dimension to their politics.

In this book, Azumi Tamura proposes a concept of politics as a series of endless experiments based on creative responses to unexpected forces. Instead of searching for a transcendental reference for politics, she investigates an immanent force within individuals that motivates them to become involved in political action. Referencing Deleuzian philosophy, Tamura provides a different epistemological and ontological approach to the social movement studies. She suggests social movements themselves generate knowledge about how one may live better in a complex society and where our lives are exposed to uncertainty. This knowledge is neither empirical knowledge, nor normative political theory of ‘how we should live’. Instead, social movements bring affective knowledge into politics as they offer a space for experimenting with ‘how we might live.’ The encounter with such knowledge galvanizes our desire for ‘how we want to live’ and encourages new experiments.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Political disillusionment is widespread in contemporary society. In Japan, the search for the ‘outside’ of a stagnant reality sometimes leads marginalised young people to a disastrous image of social change. The Fukushima nuclear disaster was the realisation of such an image, triggering the largest wave of activism since the 1960s. The disaster revealed the interconnected nature of contemporary society. The protesters regretted that their past indifference to politics prefigured such a catastrophe and became motivated to protest in the streets. They did not share any totalising ideology or predetermined collective identity. Instead, the activism provided a space for each body to encounter others who forced them to feel and think, which also introduced an ethical dimension to their politics.

In this book, Azumi Tamura proposes a concept of politics as a series of endless experiments based on creative responses to unexpected forces. Instead of searching for a transcendental reference for politics, she investigates an immanent force within individuals that motivates them to become involved in political action. Referencing Deleuzian philosophy, Tamura provides a different epistemological and ontological approach to the social movement studies. She suggests social movements themselves generate knowledge about how one may live better in a complex society and where our lives are exposed to uncertainty. This knowledge is neither empirical knowledge, nor normative political theory of ‘how we should live’. Instead, social movements bring affective knowledge into politics as they offer a space for experimenting with ‘how we might live.’ The encounter with such knowledge galvanizes our desire for ‘how we want to live’ and encourages new experiments.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Child Language by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Global Universities and Urban Development: Case Studies and Analysis by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book The Pedagogies and Politics of Liking by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book How Do Families Cope With Chronic Illness? by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book FIDIC Yellow Book: A Commentary by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Understanding the Political Philosophers by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Popular Culture in Indonesia by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Lionel Trilling and Irving Howe by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Power-Sharing in Conflict-Ridden Societies by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Common Core Grammar Toolkit, The by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Conflicted Identities and Multiple Masculinities by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Economics as an Evolutionary Science by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Video Games as Culture by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Peter of Spain, Questiones super libro De Animalibus Aristotelis by Azumi Tamura
Cover of the book Politics, Policy and Practice in Physical Education by Azumi Tamura
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy