1920年代のマスㆍメディアにおける青年知識人の役割 - 白蓮事件と東京帝国大学新人会を中心にして-
The Role of Young Intellectuals in the Mass Media of the 1920s : The Byakuren Incident and the Tokyo Imperial University Shinjinkai
This study describes a cross section of the social structure of Japan in the 1920s by examining the role of young intellectuals, focusing on the pressure exerted by them on mass media. The analysis evaluates the Byakuren Incident of October 1921, which was a rare event in Japan at that time as a mass media campaign was advanced primarily by young intellectuals who were nonprofessional journalists, as well as the thoughts and actions of Shinjinkai members directing the incident. From the time the student group was initially formed, the young intellectuals understood that it was necessary to obtain the support of a wide range of people to provide a stable basis for their social movement. They gradually became aware of the influence of mass media. Prior studies on young intellectuals have not clarified the point in time at which they established their social influence as an independent group. By examining the Byakuren Incident, this study clarifies the time when the young intellectuals established themselves as a social class and elucidates the qualities of their unique mode of thought and the realistic functions played by them in the society. The Shinjinkai’s intent was to promote the cause of women’s liberation. The Byakuren Incident that they instigated through the unique method of a mass media campaign sent shockwaves to the society, as it intended. The significance of the Byakuren Incident, which was instigated by lawyers, labor organizers, and journalists, lies in the pressure exerted by young intellectuals on a wide range of people. This exerted pressure through networks spanned various occupations taken up by the students after graduating from the university. The Byakuren Incident made it clear that young intellectuals had established themselves as a social class. However, these young intellectuals had their own unique mode of thought and realistic functions in the society. First, the concept of “laborer” that they shared in the broad sense tended to focus on sensationalist elements apparent on the surface level of problems, rather than discrete logical examinations of the diverse individuals they intended to help. Second, the Byakuren Incident clearly demonstrated that the young intellectuals consciously “mediated between” the “class with political power and capital” and the “working class” and pursued “reasonable” social reform. On the other hand, it is also clear that they were accepted as something similar to a “mouthpiece” for the oppressed, and as the movement subsequently unfolded, this served as a hindrance for obtaining people’s support.