일본의 현대사상은 ‘자본주의 이후’를 어떻게 정당화하는가- 가라타니 고진의 ‘새로운 어소시에이션 운동(New Associationist Movement)’을 중심으로 -

Abstract

One of the characteristics of contemporary Japanese thought in the 21st century is the continuous emergence of so-called ‘Post-capitalism’ discourses that advocate the abandonment of capitalism. Although the contemporary Japanese thought is strengthening its radical character, Japan's anti-capitalist social movement has been steadily weakening since the 1970s. In other words, the current anti-capitalist theory and movement in Japan show a serious divergence. So how does post-capitalism theory justify the prospect of overcoming capitalism when the claim to overcome capitalism is not realistic? This paper deals with this issue by focusing on ‘New Association Movement(Short for NAM)’, a theory of the movement against capital and the state created by Karatani Kojin. This paper treats Karatani's argument as a form of thought corresponding to the transformation of Japanese capitalism, unlike prior research, which regards it as a new Marxist theory. In other words, it is not regarded as a "general theory" but as a thoroughly "historical discourse." Through concepts such as the premonition of catastrophe and the repetition of history, Karatani argues for the inevitability of revolution aimed at overcoming capitalism. In addition, his theory of revoluti through association is not only the result of a critical review of previous Marxist philosophy and, but also included the theory of the Japanese information society and the theory of consumer revolution as internal elements of the theory. Furthermore, he says, Japan can bring about a change in the world's sovereign state system by strictly adhering to the Constitution, which stipulates the renunciation of military power. This kind of logic is not based on the general Enlightenment that strong subjects can lead change, but on the idea that pacifism can be realized in the world by presenting oneself as a weak subject before various nations. This is an example of Japan's postwar mentality in that it is established by actively defending the values of the Japanese Constitution.