Two memories of the Battle of Bougainville - towards reconciliation at the grassroots

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12792
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Area studies
• Research Institution: Doshisha University
• Principal Investigator: Onishi Masayuki 同志社大学, 研究開発推進機構, 嘱託研究員 (10299711)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 寺田 匡宏 総合地球環境学研究所, 研究部, 客員准教授 (30399266)
• Research Collaborator: IWAMOTO Hiromitsu 同志社大学, 研究開発推進機構, 嘱託研究員 ; TANIS James ブーゲンビル自治州政府, 平和協定実施省, 代行書記官
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ブーゲンビル / 戦争体験 / 戦争の記憶 / 和解 / ナラティブ / パプアニューギニア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aims of this project were: (1) to uncover the memories of the Battle of Bougainville by examining narratives told by Japanese ex-soldiers and Bougainvillians; (2) to examine diverse ways of understanding this history by looking at both oral histories and written records of the Battle; and (3) to enhance mutual understanding/advance reconciliation between Japanese and Bougainvillians.
As regards (1) and (2), we have collected many narratives and new primary sources, and on the basis of our analysis of these data we have presented our research outcomes through a presentation in the meeting of Pacific History Conference as well as in various publications. As regards (3), we have made efforts to enhance mutual understanding among all interested parties by participating in meetings, organising seminars, publishing reports in local newspapers, and others. Proper reconciliation in Bougainville, however, was left as a future challenge, awaiting a more favourable political situation.

Free Research Field

言語学