公民館的理念與日本的社會教育思想

KominKan and the Philosophy of Democratic Social Education in Japan

第二次世界大戰戰敗後，日本發展了與戰前完全不同的社會教育思想以及為實踐此思想之新制度。此思想，一言以蔽之，乃是一種要求民有、民治、民享的民主主義原理的社會教育。它反映出戰後日本民眾對社會全面民主化要求的心聲。為了使此民主理念付諸實踐，他們也創造了極具特色的社會教育法及公民館制度。在世界社會（成人）教育發展史上，這是一個重要的里程碑。不過，隨著日本戰後經濟的迅速復興，政治及社會結構也產生巨大變遷，以公民館為主體的民主化社會教育理念便屢遭挑戰。公民館教育的發展之路並不平坦。如五0年代日本政府開始右傾化，企圖加強對社會教育的掌控權；六0年代的高度經濟成長及人口的迅速都市化，對以鄉村傳統社區為主要據點的公民館帶來莫大震撼。八0年代經濟成長之萎縮及政治保守化所產生的日本式「終生學習」政策，對公民館及社會教育帶來一大打擊，逼迫公民館一再調適其社會角色。與之同時，日本民眾也開始對社會教育權利有了新的覺醒，導致維護社會教育自主權的社會教育運動的萌芽及成長。他們堅持社會教育的本質在於國民之自我教育及相互教育，而政府的責任在於釀造國民從事自我教育的有利環境。戰後日本社會教育的歷史，不啻為一部民眾爭取自我教育權利的奮鬥史。本文從日本戰後社會變遷過程中，分析公民館理念的形成及其變遷經過，並探討日本民眾為維護社會教育權利所從事的種種努力之經過。我國社會漸形民主化，終生教育之理念也漸成未來教育之主流，此時對日本社會教育新理念的探討是必要，也是有價值的。

Reflecting a society in a rapid process of transformation, a new thought of social education and a very particular type of institution for social education have been developed since the end of the Second World War in Japan. The new idea was that of democratic principle of social education: an education of the people, by the people and for the people. KominKan, or citizen's public hall was established to put this ieda into practice. These developments marked an important progress in the history of adult education in the world.However, a rapid and significant economic, political and social changes of Japanese society since 1950s, and especially 1960s, brought an endless challenges to the new yet vulnerable idea of democratic social education and it's institution-KominKan. In 1980s, following the implementation of the Japanese style lifelong learning system, the KominKan-based social education of Japan was again forced to adjust it's role to the emerging new situation of Japanese society. At the same time, the Japanese people, coming of aware that it is their right to the education of themselves, have been engaged vigorous social movements in the defense of the democratic ideal of social education. They insist that social education is essentially a kind of self-education and mutual-education by the members of a community themselves and that the duty of the government is mainly to provide a favorable environment for the people to pursuit their own educational needs.The purpose of this study is to analyze the formation and the changes of the ideas of KominKan and the philosophy underlying Japanese social educational movements. It is fascinating and significance for us to engage such kind of research especially when lifelong education is appearing on the mainstage of education in Taiwan today.