Kasai's lecture at Seminar of life studies

Kenta Kasai was invited to a Seminar of Life Studies, held by Professor Sadako Tokumaru, Joetsu University of Education, Niigata, Japan, as a lecturer. Then he presents a paper based on a thoroughly media research on the representation of "spirituality" and "life" of Japanese. Part of the paper is available in Japanese as "people who uses the term 'spirituality'"in Yuasa (2003),

On Kasai and Center

After 7 years teaching and studying experience as a Research Fellow at Joetsu University of Education, Niigata, Japan (a Japanese national university), Kenta Kasai accepted the job as a research fellow of Center for Information on Religion, Tokyo, Japan. Though it is financially supported by a Buddhist order, Shinnyo-en, the theme of study is open to all religions. This Center has offered a huge media covarage. The index database of newspaper articles in Japan on religions to various professionals, for example, scholars, lawsuits and journalists, with the cordial cooperation of the Religious Information Research Center, affiliated to International Institute for the Study of Religion, Tokyo, Japan. TV broadcasting religious programms are under the analysis and some of the result are published by professor Kenji Ishii, Kokugakuin University.

Kasai has studied sociological and psychological understandings of religion at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the University of Tokyo. His dissertation is a post-Freudian sociological understanding of "spirituality" and mutual support of Alcoholics Anonymous, a well-known self-help organization for the people who want to quit drinking.

Alcoholics Anonymous is NEITHOR a group of religious ascetics NOR conservatives to abolish all the liquor. They are rather just a support community for the people who are not against the very existence of liquor but who suffer from some unacceptable habit of drinking. As you know, to continue to quit drinking is hard and often discouraging challenge. Members often say, "There is no [physically complete] cure, but recovery." Though Alcoholics Anonymous does not identify itself as a religious group, it encourages members to find their own "spirituality" called "Higher Power." From a viewpoint of sociological and psychological understanding of religion, context and usage of the terms such as "recovery," "spirituality," or "Higher Power" are worth being analyzed.

In reference to some sociological understanding of religious groups, Alcoholics Anonymous has three interesting characters in comparison with other religious groups, even if it is not original to Alcoholics Anonymous. First, it develops very generous idea of spirituality in secular context influenced by both religious and modern psychological thought, such as writings of "positive thinkers" and William James'. Second, it also encourages members to offer support to other (newer) members as a crucial reciprocity to the "recovery." Third, the cohesiveness of group and that of self is often correspondent. Therefore, mutual support is crucial for both group stability and members mental stability. Endorsed by various idea of "spirituality," such correspondence is often felt as a "spiritual experience" more than just coincidence. Then he moves to the some concrete questions about these three characteristics through detailed research. What on earth is their objective of "recovery"? How they realize it? Then how the group and self transform in the process to recover? Descriptions of the cases and post-Freudian theories of self bridges the symptom and transference of alcoholics in reference to the "spirituality" they find in their way to "recovery."

Kenta Kasai is currently on leave and do his research as an individual and independent scholar, with an affiliation as Visiting Scholar of School of Religion, University of Southern California. He had been visiting sholar of Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs, Boston University and also Associate in Research of the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University until he left Boston.

Kasai's work

Kasai's work
Dissertation: on Religiosity of the intrapsychic space--a study on Alcoholics Anonymous
(Ph. D. Division of the Humanities and Social Science of the University of Tokyo, Graduate School. (March 1999) )

PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS *available on this web are shown with link:
[Articles, essays, book chapters]
"A Universal way to stop drinking: sharing weakness with others," in M. Ito, N. Kashio, T. Yumiyama, eds., Sociology of Spirituality: in search of religiosity in modern world, Sekai-shiso sha, Kyoto: Japan, 2004.

"On People who use the term ‘spirituality': their effort to disseminate and standardize the term," in Yasuo Yuasa ed., Spirituality in Present situation, Jinbun-shoin, Kyoto, Japan, 2003.

"How World Health Organization discuss about the revision of its health definition and try to standardize the concept of "spirituality?" in International Institute for the Study of Religion Newsletter, No. 38, April 25, 2003.

"Honesty and Fellowship: Community to share ‘the life experience without liquor,'" in Naoki Kashio, ed., Living on Spirituality, Serika shobo, Tokyo, Japan, 2002.

"'To accept a god understand by myself': Religious Cultural Resource and Identity in Alcoholics Anonymous," in Miyanaga Kuniko, ed., Globalization and Identity Crisis, Akashi Shoten, April 2002.

"Spirituality of Self-Help: Potential culture of mutual support," Tanabe Shintaro and Shimazono Susumu ed., Healing in Connectedness: Various Developments of Therapeutic Culture, Senshu University Press, April 2002.

"Spirituality of Recovery: Recovery Movements and its developments," in Religion and Society, vol. 6, Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, 2000.

"Fundamental Structure of Psychoanalytical Theory of Religion," in Shimazono Susumu and Nishihira Tadasu ed., In Search of Psychology of Religion, University of Tokyo Press, February 1999.

Inoue Nobutaka, Isooka Tetsuya, Kasai Kenta, Kawamata Toshinori, Kumada Kazuo, Sasaki Yuko, Nagai Mikiko, Yumiyama Tatsuya, "Religious consciousness of modern college students: an analysis of the questionnaire research from 1995 to 1997," Nihonbunka Kenkyusho Kiyo (Transactions of the Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics), Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University, vol. 82, September 1998.

"Loose community to support New Age movements worldview: understanding small group movements," in short in Religion and Society supplement, 1998. It is presented in Japanese Association for Religion and Society, annual meeting 1997, in the workshop on "Perspectives on New Age Movements: to understand modern man and modern society," June 1998. Then "Loose community to support New Age movements worldview" on Religion and Society vol. 4, in Japanese Association for Religion and Society, July 1998.

"The loose cohesiveness of self of the members of Alcoholics Anonymous: multi-centered-self and spirituality," in Bulletin of the Joetsu University of Education, vol. 17 no.2, Joetsu University of Education, September 1998.

"Universalizing personal Experience" in of New Age Culture," Joetsu Social Studies 12, Association for Social Studies of Joetsu University of Education, October 1997.

"Teacher's Forlornness and support for them: public discourses on bullying in school and its responsibility," in Report of the internal fund of Joetsu university of Education, on Comparative Historical Study of Bullying: Elemental Study of Educational Ethics in Modern Society, April 1997.

"To love and to work: basics on the psychoanalytic myth on child development and motherhood," Joetsu Social Studies, Association for Social Studies of Joetsu University of Education, October 1996.

"An attempt of Genealogy of the Psychoanalytical Ethical Thought: on a development of the human idea in relation to both the life and death instinct," Bulletin of the Joetsu University of Education, vol. 16 no.1, Joetsu University of Education, September 1996.

"On Rizzuto's Psychoanalytical Approach to the Process of Forming Faith: Another Possibility of Freudian Theory of Religion," in Annual Review of Religiuos Studies X, Faculty of Religious Studies, University of Tokyo, March 1994.

Infantity, Illusion and Religion: The Place of object relations theory in the psychology of religion, Japanese Journal of Relgious Studies, 298, Japanese Association for Religious Studies, December 1993.

"On rapport: mystical correspondence of Soul," in AZ: on Jungian mystery of Mind, Shin Jinbutsu Ourai sha, Fall 1993.

"From Harmonic Thought to Christian Science: on Healing Arts and Thought," Annual Review of Religious Studies IX, Faculty of Religious Studies, University of Tokyo, March 1993.

"The Development of a Psychological Soteriology in Mary Baker Eddy," paper for Master of Arts Degree, submitted to the Division of Humanities, the Graduate School of University of Tokyo, December 1990.

[Presentations]
"On Usage of 'spirituality' in the context of Japanese Media," paper presented at Association for the sociology of Religion, annual meeting 2004, August 12-15, 2004, San Francisco, U. S. A,

"People who use the term "spirituality" in Japan: Universal ideas? Particular experience?," paper presented at Implicit Religion Denton Conference, Denton, United Kingdom, May 7-9, 2004.

"Culture of Recovery as implicit religion," paper presented on April 21, 2001 at INFORM/CESNUR International Conference held at London School of Economics, London, Great Britain.

"Localizing Spiritualities in Japan: Transformation of the Ideas of "Higher Power" of Alcoholics Anonymous," paper presented on August 20, 2001 at Association for the Sociology of Religion Annual Meeting 2001 held at Washington D.C.

"People who share their fragility: Alcoholics Anonymous' making of universal vocabularies," presented at International Society for the Sociology of Religion, Regional Conference at Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico, August 21, 2001.

"Transplanting Spirituality to Japan: Transformation of the Concept of ‘Higher Power' of Alcoholics anonymous," presented in Japanese Association for Religion and Society, annual meeting 2000.

"Spirituality of Recovery: Recovery Movements and its developments," in Workshop on "Religiosity/Spirituality in the Modern World," in Japanese Association for Religion and Society, annual meeting 1999.

"Being dare to share the resources of mine," presented in the Project Meeting on "developed Information Society and Religion," the Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, August 1997.

"Self as Cohesive and Self as multi-centered: two models for modern understanding of self," Joetsu Association for the Social Studies, annual meeting, October 1997.

"Spirituality in the Small Group Movement," presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 55th annual meeting, 1996.

"Self-Help group and identity of modern self," presented in the 4th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, 1996.

"Too much information lends less commitment,"　presented in the Project Meeting on "developed Information Society and Religion," the Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, August 1996.

"Small Group Movements and ‘Salvation of Society,'" presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 55th annual meeting, 1996.

"Loose community to support New Age movements worldview: understanding small group movements," presented in Japanese Association for Religion and Society, annual meeting 1997, in the workshop on "Perspectives on New Age Movements: to understand modern man and modern society." Kasai also works as an organizer of the workshop.

"Freud and Post-Jungian," presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 54th annual meeting, 1995.

"Post-Freudian Psychoanalytic Religious Studies," presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 53st annual meeting, 1994.

"Object Relations theory and Imago Dei," presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 52nd annual meeting, 1993.

"Psychological Soteriology in 19th Century United States: Worldview of a folk therapist," presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 51st annual meeting, 1992.

"Psychological Soteriology in 19th Century United States: the case of Christian Science," presented in Japanese Association for Religious Studies, 50th annual meeting, 1991.

[Translation]
Swan, James, Sacred Places, Shunju sha, Tokyo, Japan, 1995.

Storm, Rachel, "Community, culture and Spirituality," in Kashio, Naoki ed., Living on Spirituality, Serika shobo, Tokyo, Japan, 2002, translation with Masayuki Ito.

Jung, C. G., "Symbolic Life," in Jungian Studies, no. 6, Meicho kanko kai, May 1993.

Riklin, F.N., "Jeanne d'Arc," in Jungian Studies, no. 8, Meicho kanko kai, May 1994.　

Raphael-Leff, J., "If Freud is an Egiptian," in Imago, Vol. 5, no. 9, Seido sha, August 1994, translation with Norichika Horie, Hara Takahashi, Kana Tomizawa.　

Charet, F. X., Jung and Spiritualism, Daisan bunmeisha, 1997, translation with Manabu Watanabe, Norichika Horie, Hara Takahashi.　

[Book Reviews]
Shimazono Susumu and Mitsugu Ochi, Culture of developed information society: volume 4 Transformation of Mentality, University of Tokyo Press, 1998, in Japanese Journals for Religious Studies, Japanese Association for Religious Studies, September 1998.

Fujiwara Shigekazu, Japanese cultural history in the viewpoint of healing, Hozo Kan, 1997, in Nihon Keizai Shinbun, December 21, 1997.

Araya Shigehiko, et al., ed., Healing and Mutual Understanding, Harvest sha, 1995, in Religion and society, vol. 2, Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, June, 1996.

Watanabe Manabu, Jungian Psychology and Religion, Daisan bunmei sha, 1994, in Japanese Journals for Religious Studies, Japanese Association for Religious Studies, September 1995.

Yuasa Yasuo, Jung and Eastern Civilization, Jinbun Shoin, 1988, in Annual Review of Religious Studies of University of Tokyo, Faculty of Religious Studies, University of Tokyo, March 1988.

Kasai's experience
Kasai worked as an organizer and presided in the workshop on "Perspectives on New Age Movements part 2: to view Social Facet of New Age Movements," in Japanese Association for Religion and Society, annual meeting 1998,

He also works as the Administrator of "Understanding America Project of Joetsu University of Education," funded by US-Japan foundation, from 1999 to 2001. This project is to offer study tour for gifted school teachers of social studies. Kasai acts as the planner of tour, negotiator to the interviewee, translator, and editor in chief of the two Annual Report Creation of Educagtion Materials for understanding America, 1999 and 2000. He authored two papers in them. In "Varieties of American Culture seen from the social problem: missions of Hazelden foundation," he described the grass-rooted and organized activities of Hazelden foundation, Minnesota, United States, to explain a facet of American Culture. In "Making of Understanding America Project," the difficulties and tips to organize international learning project such as ours.

Education
Ph. D. Division of the Humanities and Social Science of the University of Tokyo, Graduate School. (March 1999) Dissertation: on Religiosity of the intrapsychic space--a study on Alcoholics Anonymous
M.A. Division of the Humanities, University of Tokyo, Graduate School. (March 1991)
B.A. Faculty of Letters of the University of Tokyo. (March 1989)

Employment
Research Fellow of the Center for Information on Religion, since 2002.
Research Fellow of Joetsu University of Education, Faculty of Social Studies, 1995-2002.
Research Fellow of the Fellowships of the Japan society for the Promotion of Science for Japanese Junior Scientists. (as a Special Researcher DC), 1992-1995.
No reward and no punishment.

2004 On leave as a Visiting Scholar of School of Religion, University of Southern California.
2004 On leave as a Visiting Scholar of Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs, Boston University.
2004 Associate in Research of Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University.
2003- Part time Lecturer (Psychology of Religion) at the Komazawa University, Tokyo, Japan.
2002 Part time Lecturer (History of World Religions) at the Kokugakuin University, Tokyo, Japan.
2000 Part time Lecturer (Religious Studies) at the Shukutoku University, Tokyo, Japan.
1996-2001 Part time Lecturer (Sociology) at the Saigata School of Rehabilitation at the National Hospital, Niigata.
1996 Part time Lecturer (Sociology) at the Niigata College of Nurse, Niigata, JAPAN.
1994 Teaching Fellow (Religious Studies) at the University of Tokyo.
1994 Part time Lecturer (Religious Studies) at the Teikyo University, Tokyo.
1993-1995 Part time Lecturer (psychology) at the Saeki School of Nutrition, Tokyo.

Professional Memberships and Activities
Japanese Association for Religious Studies
Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society (Steering committee, 1995-1999, 2003-present)
The Japanese Association for American Studies
American Academy of Religion
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Association for the Sociology of Religion
International Society for the Sociology of Religion
Fellow of the 21 Century Center for Excellence Program for Establishment of a National Learning Institute for the Dissemination of Research on Shinto and Japanese Culture, Kokugakuin University, Tokyo, Japan, 2002-.
Presiding Session on the Religiosity of Life, Japanese Association for Religious Studies, annual meeting, 2002.
Presiding Session for the Psychology and Problem of the Self, Japanese Association for Religious Studies, annual meeting, 1999.
Presiding Session "the context of New Age - focused on its Social status," Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, 1998．
Presiding Session "the context of New Age - as a key to understand person and society in modernity," Japanese Association for the Study of Religion and Society, 1997．

About our Center
We are a center who offer media informations of Japanese media for professionals such as scholars, journalists, and lawsuits. Just in the process of renewal, Kasai is doing his research abroad until December 2004. We will open Center's web site in the near future.

On CIR TSUSHIN (CIR correspondence)
If you are interested in recent news about Japanese Religions, try our "CIR Tsushin," a news briefing of religious News in Major Newspapers in Japan. "CIR Tsushin" is the only available briefing of this kind, by e-mail, in Japanese. Interested? Contact me or Nanako Tamaki, my colleague in charge of Tsushin. Please make it certain that your PC/Mac is available in Japanese characters.