일본의 ‘생활자’ 개념으로 본 고도 소비사회의 주체 호명과 ‘저항하는 주체’론의 임계 = Seikatsusha, the Interpellated Subject of Japan’s Advanced Consumer Society, and “the Subject of Resistance” in Crisis

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article aims to explore the ways in which advanced consumerism interpellates us as its subjects by tracing the concept of seikatsusha. This concept emerged in Japan during the 1970s and 1980s as an alternative to the conventional notion of the consumer. It arose from marketing strategies designed to adapt to rapidly changing markets and consumer trends, as well as to capture and explain the complex social changes and experiences brought about by Japan’s transformation into an advanced consumer society. This transformation was closely intertwined with deindustrialization, the economic bubble, and the rise of postmodern thought. Seikatsusha interpellated the subject of an advanced consumer society as an agent who actively recreates daily life, unlike the consumer who was often considered passive and manipulable. It also positioned the subject as a bearer of desire, emotion, and senses, as well as reason, constantly reconstituting oneself through an affective relationship with one’s surroundings and things. I argue that this interpellation reveals the limitations of subjectification strategies based on the modern notion of “the subject of resistance” in adequately responding to the rise of advanced consumerism. Therefore, understanding the historical emergence of the concept of seikatsusha can contribute to developing a critical framework for effectively addressing consumer culture and its specific mode of subjectification.