| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TAMURA Katsumi National Museum of Ethnology, Professor, 教授 (40094156)
ITO Abito Graduate School of Arts and Science, The University of Tokyo, Professor, 大学院・総合文化研究科, 教授 (50012464)
SUENARI Michio Faculty of Sociology, Toyo University, Professor, 社会学部, 教授 (20054570)
NAKANISHI Yuji Faculty of Humanities, Fukuoka Univ., Associate Prof., 人文学部, 助教授 (50237327)
SEGAWA Masahisa Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Professor, 東北アジア研究センター, 教授 (00187832)
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| Research Abstract |
The object of this study is the societies of certain ethnic groups living at the periphery of China, such as the Koreans in both Korea autd China, the Vietnamse, the Khmer (Cambodian) in Vietnam, ethnic Chinese in Vietnam, the She in China, and Taiwanese aboriginals. Our project, which is based on anthropological field research, contributes to our understanding of the processes of cultural revival and cultural change that have accompanied modernization, especially since the eighties when rapid economic growth began in these areas. Two important conclusions from our research are presented below :
1. In most areas of East Asia, various ethnic groups have historically c o-existed and intermingled. Therefore, in areas where this has occurred, in one group, some customs and ideas may have originated in the tradition of one ethnic group while other customs and ideas may have originated from the tradition of another ethnic group. In other words, it is not appropriate to assume that a group of people constitutes a distinct ethnic group by virtue of particular cultural customs or institutions, such as the kinship system.
2. In areas such as Vietnam and China, where economic reform policies have progressed rapidly, the relationship between the center and the periphery of the nation state is changing dramatically. In some societies, those at the periphery of a nation no longer aspire to imitate or adopt the culture of those at the center of the nation, but rather tend to defend the individuality of their own culture. We can find cases where these people are establishing close relationships with those who share a common culture but who live at the periphery of adjacent nations.
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