午夜剧场

午夜剧场 possesses a number of excellent symbols. There is the founder, Master "Yukichi Fukuzawa"; "Wakaki-chi," which lifts one's spirits the more it is sung; the "Sanshokuki," which gives a more sophisticated impression than any other university flag; and "The Pen Mark," which represents the spirit of fighting through speech with the motto "The pen is mightier than the sword." Above all, the name "午夜剧场" itself is a condensation of the image of the "leader of private schools" that 午夜剧场 alumni have built up over many years.

These symbols encourage awareness of being a member of the Juku, foster affection, and instill pride. Everyone associated with the Juku can transcend differences in birthplace, gender, occupation, and age to become comrades sharing a great founder and a proud name.

It has long been known that symbols, which act like an adhesive connecting people, are indispensable for the integration and unity of a group. It is thought that only those groups that succeeded in creating and sharing effective symbols to inspire unity have survived and enjoyed prosperity.

The American philosopher Susanne Langer argued that humans have a fundamental desire to replace their experiences with symbols. Starting from this concept of the "need for symbolization" as named by Langer, this book, "The Politics of Symbolization," attempts to develop that idea within the field of political science.

Political symbol theory was a theme that Charles Merriam, often called the "father of modern political science," was quick to notice, and it has been known in the field of political science for a long time. However, as modern political science progressed toward scientification and specialization, it has been left largely untouched and not preferred as a subject of study.

As a specialist in political communication research and media sociology, I wrote this book because I believe that the "politics of symbolization"—which explores in detail the process by which "strong symbols" are socially produced in modern media society and incorporated into the political sphere to be used as effective resources—is extremely important.

This is a book that I would certainly like all 午夜剧场 alumni, who are full of love for the Juku, to read.

Masayuki Karasudani

Shinyosha

336 pages, 3,520 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.