| Project/Area Number |
21K13164
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 04030:Cultural anthropology and folklore-related
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| Research Institution | Tohoku University |
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Principal Investigator |
Gerster Julia 東北大学, 災害科学国際研究所, 准教授 (90842716)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000)
Fiscal Year 2025: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
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| Keywords | negative heritage / memorials / disaster heritage / cultural memory / collective memory / dark tourism / disaster recovery / oral history / disaster / recovery / museums / tourism / trauma / collective idenity / disaster tourism / museum / exhibition / Disaster Studies / Recovery / Negative Heritage / Tourism / Collective memory |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
This research analyzes the integration of the 3.11 disasters into collective memory through preserving or erasing sites of negative heritage, and how precedents of negative heritage preservation and tourism related activities can inform revitalization efforts in Tohoku.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Research activities focused on the comparative analysis of negative heritage and memorialization following the 3.11 disasters, juxtaposed with similar processes observed globally. Specifically, memorials erected for the victims of wildfires in and around Melbourne, Australia, as well as the preservation efforts concerning negative heritage stemming from war and dictatorship in Germany.Through a series of stakeholder interviews and a comprehensive review of relevant literature, findings underscored the critical influence of temporal and geographical contexts on the preservation strategies. In Japan, the occurrence of fatalities at potential heritage sites significantly influence preservation processes.
The outcomes of this research were presented several international conferences. Additionally, I have contributed two peer-reviewed book chapters, and another one currently in the final stages of publication.
Future activities will focus on conducting additional stakeholder interviews on integrating survivor testimonies into tourism initiatives and educational curricula.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The analysis of exhibitions at heritage sites in Japan is progressing smoothly, and in person meetings, investigations and interviews are easier to facilitate after the lift of Covid-related restrictions. Additionally, comparative research in Germany and Australia helped to contextualize the findings in Japan. Two publications were released this FY, one more is in print and I am currently preparing several other journal articles to summarize and discuss my findings. Presentations at international conferences and discussions with other experts in the field helped me to gain valuable feedback that will be incorporated in the research outcomes.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The upcoming research phase will concentrate on completing the analysis of disaster-related exhibitions in Japan, with a particular emphasis on disaster memorial museums and negative heritage sites (shinsai iko). Additionally, I will conduct interviews with disaster survivors who serve as kataribe, or disaster storytellers, to gain deeper insights into their role in shaping collective and cultural memory of disasters.
Research activities will extend to Germany, where I plan to engage with organizations involved in dispatching witnesses (Zeitzeugen) of dictatorships or relatives of Holocaust survivors. Through these interviews, I aim to identify strategies for establishing sustainable networks for oral history within educational tourism and school curricula.
Throughout the fiscal year, we anticipate presenting several research papers and participating in conferences focused on war-related heritage and museum studies, thereby fostering ongoing dialogue and scholarly exchange in these critical areas.
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