An Anthropological Study of Quantification and Local Accountability: The case of Africa
| Project/Area Number |
17H07342
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Cultural anthropology
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| Research Institution | National Museum of Ethnology |
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Principal Investigator |
Hayakawa Mayu 国立民族学博物館, 人類基礎理論研究部, 外来研究員 (20720361)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-08-25 – 2019-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
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| Keywords | 南部アフリカ / レソト / 貨幣 / 会計 / 行商 / 経済人類学 / 価値 / 個別的アカウンタビリティ / 文化人類学 / アフリカ / アカウンタビリティ |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This research attempted to examine the economic practices among people in Southern Africa, focusing on not only their business methods and uses of profits but also their own accounting systems, that is, how they measure, quantify, and manage the value of assets.
It specifically explored the case of peddling activity by Zimbabwean migrants in Lesotho. As a result, it revealed some characteristics on their business practices: (1) Their goods are sold with slightly higher price than in the marketplace. (2) They do bookkeeping regarding credit-sales (only). (3) There is no penalty on customers’ late-payments and, when it happens, it is basically the peddlers’ patient effort that solves the problem.
Based on these results, it is envisaged that further research will be needed exploring the reason for peddlers’ limited-use of bookkeeping and their understanding of the concept of default-charge.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
会計や監査は、近年の人類学や社会学で高い関心を集めている。これらの研究は、先進諸国における高度に抽象化した会計・監査制度が、過度な数値化や過剰な比較を推し進め、統治や抑圧の装置として働くことを問題視してきた。本研究では南部アフリカのローカルの人びとによる（一見一貫性がないような）価値の計量や財産管理の方法を会計の一種として捉え、その特徴を明らかにし、数字や帳簿、計算の機能と意味を彼らの視点から明らかにしようとした。
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Report
(3 results)
Research Products
(9 results)
