Paper short abstract:

The theory of 'hybridity' has focused on 'cultural hybridity'. I suggest that in order to advance our understanding of globalization we need a study of 'social hybridity'. The purpose of this research is to theoretically refine the concept of 'social hybridity' for applying to empirical research.

Paper long abstract:

The concept of 'hybridity' has been investigated for analyzing plurality or multiplicity of globalization since the 1990s (García Canclini 1990; Appaduraiis 1996; Pieterse 2004). The theory of 'hybridity', however, has entirely focused on 'hybridity of culture' under globalization until now. I strongly suggest that in order to advance our understanding of contemporary globalization we need a study of 'social hybridity'.

One of the emerging streams in recent research on globalization is to take notice of the pluralistic constitution of society and the transborder interaction between macro societies (Massey 2005; Ong 2006; Koto 2011; Hunt 2014). For example, Doreen Massey in geography had tried to reorient the concept of space to more pluralistic direction; Ong in anthropology has analyzed 'graduated sovereignty' in East Asia in terms of the relocation of Neoliberalism; Koto in sociology has tried to rehabilitate the concept of society from the perspective of 'hybridity'; Hunt in history have indicate a necessity of the concept of society and the self. The pluralistic image of society that affords to analyze the interaction between macro-societies may have become significant for describing the dynamics of globalization.

The purpose of this research is to theoretically refine the concept of 'social hybridity' for applying it to empirical researches. For this purpose, I propose a concept of 'zone', suggested from Ong (2006). The 'zone' can be defined as spaces belonging to macro-society with border and macro-society beyond border, which forms the nucleus of 'social hybridity' (Utsumi 2016, 2017 forthcoming). The concept of 'zone' can afford to combine cultural and social hybridity perspectives, and to make developments in the analyses on plurality or multiplicity of globalization.