Professor of Ritsumeikan University ( 2015- ), PhD (policy science)
2006- 2007, Associate Professor, Volunteer Center, Ritsumeikan University
2007- 2015, Associate professor, College of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University
2013- 2014, Visiting professor in University of Toronto

The main books that I have authored include "Economic Sociology of Welfare NPOs and Social Enterprises ― Empirical Study of Commercialization" (Akashi Shoten, Co., Ltd., 2021, in Japanese. winner of the Excellence Award from the Japan NPO Research Association), "Wellbeing of Communities ― Sociology of Helping Each Other" (Akashi Shoten, Co., Ltd., 2020, in Japanese), and Culture Theory of “Living for Hobbies”: Thinking from the Viewpoint of Serious Leisure (co-authored, 2021, Nakanishiya Shuppan Co., Ltd. in Japanese).

Current research interests

1. Sociological research on reading: in particular, research on the situation of reading by young people and adults and various types of pleasure of reading, mainly focusing on the concept of “reading for pleasure” (in connection with 2. below) and research on reading communities.
2. I am interested in the model of various communities in Japanese society after the Covid-19 pandemic. At present, my research focuses on the third place, such as cafés and bars.
3. Anti-work ideology and movement: I hope to study the anti-work movement called “asylum” by social enterprises based on clues in the explanations of D. Frayne, a British sociologist, ideology of K. Polanyi, an economic sociologist, and the serious leisure concept advocated by R. Stebbins, a Canadian sociologist.

Research supervision

I offer research supervision on the viewpoint and methodology of sociology. Basically, I supervise empirical research. For all research themes, students are required to write a master’s or doctoral thesis on the assumption that they acquire either a quantitative or qualitative survey method through classes at the graduate school and self-study.

For working adults and international students, also refer to the following:
“For working adults who hope to enter a graduate school｜Masanari Sakurai Laboratory (branch)” (in Japanese)

Reading (narratives and Manga), third place, anti-work, volunteers, serious leisure, service learning, social enterprises, NPOs