Ageing Society in Lebanon: Kinship, Migration, and Foreign Domestic Workers

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K16895
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Principal Investigator: IKEDA AKIMITSU 東京外国語大学, アジア・アフリカ言語文化研究所, 研究員 (10725865)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: レバノン / 高齢化 / 老年人類学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project have conducted the research mainly on ageing process in Lebanon which is considered to show the highest ratio of the elderly among the Arab countries through anthropological fieldwork.
The research shows that various confessional groups have been involved in taking care of elderly people through confessional-based institutions. This is due to the lack or insufficiency of the aid from public sector. Also, due to the persistence of kinship ideology to take care of the elderly by its members, especially young generation who try to migrate often feel social conflict between their future career and care of their parents.
The research results became opened through publications and oral presentations, in order to have the results open both to the academic and non-academic audiences.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、高齢化について、次第に進展しつつも全体的にはそれほど研究の進んでいない中東地域において、レバノン共和国におけるフィールドワークによって、具体的な側面から実態を調査した点で学術的な意義を有している。
また、日本語による情報が限定されている同国の社会的側面の一端について行った研究という点では本邦に知的情報の多様性をもたらす意義がある。特に、一般読者向けのエッセイを通してそうした知見を社会還元できたことには大きな意味があろう。