Fifteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

There is a global trend to address environmental issues with new ethical frameworks. However, a vast gap exists between theoretical developments and daily patterns. In this research, I present the case of Minamata, a southern Japanese city that resists hegemonic discourses of economic development. With postmodernist and poststructuralist frameworks the presentation introduces the “Chisso Within” concept, a reshaped religious narrative for a secular world. The concept stresses a simple reality, the existence of each human being, including the activists, is imbued with a dominant narrative. There is no dissidence without contradiction because of an omnipresent network within which the “I” is irremediably accountable to the “Other.” Creative leaders in Minamata apply the “Chisso Within” through lifeworld, an intuitive, flexible, but an ambiguous system. The case of Minamata shows that narratives inspired by religious experiences can reach secular ears through rational statements free from dogmas. Dissidence starts in the everyday with the opportunity to become the next dominant narrative.