Short Abstract

The role of intellectuals in social movements became significant theme in Japan since the mass conversions of the 1930s. Many converts were co-opted by nationalism, but a minority resited. this report examines how the latter group revised their view of society and redisconvered their social role.

Long Abstract

In Europe, there have been repeated discussions about the role of intellectuals in social movements. As Marxism became the mainstream of the socialist movement, it became necessary to clarify the relationship between the proletariat as the theoretiacal revolutionary subject and the intellectual class that in reality almost monopolized the leadership position.

In Japan, issues surrounding the relationship between the socialist movement and intellectuals came to light around 1930, but this was significantly influenced by Japan's unique historical position as a latecomer in a non-Western region. In Japan at that time, Marxism was virtually the only means of grasping society as a whole logically and systematically. Therefore, whether embraced as a revolutionary theory to advance social reform or shunned as a dangerous ideology threatening the Tenno system, the formidable power of Marxism was highly valued among the social elite. Meanwhile, among the impoverished and lower classes - whom Marxism regarded as both subjects of salvation and agents of revolution - its influence remained extremely limited.

Thus, in a situation where assessments of Marxism diverged not only between left and right but also sharply across social strata, intensified repression by the authorities led to a mass conversions of socialists in the early 1930s. Many converts, like Nabeyama Sadachika and Akamatsu Katsumaro, were co-opted into the narrative of Tenno nationalism, but a few individuals resisted it. The latter did not entirely reject the socialist movements they had previously been involved in. Amidst their frustration, helplessness, and sense of defeat, they identified problems such as elitism within Fukumoto-ism and great-power chauvinism of the Soviet Union, which led the Comintern, and worked to overcome them. At that time, one of the unavoidable themes was, after all, the question of how to recognize their own class identity as intellectuals.

This report analyzes how converts who resited Tenno nationalism - such as Haniya Yutaka, Hani Goro, Shiina Rinzo - revised their social perspectives and positioned themselves within them. It then clarifies the lifestyles and forms of social participation they adopted, highlighting their significance and challenges.