2016 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
| Project/Area Number |
16F16776
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
藤原 帰一 東京大学, 大学院法学政治学研究科(法学部), 教授 (90173484)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
HUSSAIN NAZIA 東京大学, 大学院法学政治学研究科(法学部), 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-10-07 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | Urban conflict / Global security / Civil war / Karachi / Syria / Urban violence |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
In the fiscal year 2016, Dr. Hussain focused on finding how her research on urban conflict fits in the larger debates in international security. Her work on Karachi suggested that urban violence and conflict may be local but it has regional (and global) implications. Yet, existing scholarship in international security tends to focus on large-scale instability and not micro and meso-level conflict which is found in cities. To that end, she did an extensive review of literature from international security, political violence, and social movements in order to find common points of convergence.
In parallel, she is working on developing her doctoral dissertation into a scholarly paper which applies new theoretical frameworks which she had not used in her original research. This is a useful exercise since it enables her to study the same problem from a different lens.
Lastly, Dr. Hussain has expanded the scope of her research by considering comparative analysis with another case study apart from the original case study of Karachi, Pakistan. To that end, she is exploring which city may be ideal for fieldwork and analysis of political orders which are criminal, violent and often informal. Latin America remains her top pick for such an endeavor as that is the region which has urbanized most in the previous decades and can provide useful insights. Another choice could be a city in the Middle East, contingent on safety issues.
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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
Dr. Hussain reached her target of identifying a research agenda which combines her work on urban conflict and larger debates in international security. To that end, she wrote an academic paper which presents a literature review based on existing debates in scholarship as well as proposes a framework which suggests a way forward for scholars to combine micro and macro levels of analysis. She hopes to expand the scope of this paper by producing more scholarship in the future on this topic as well as opinion pieces in key policy venues which may be useful for policy analysis. In addition, she also conceptualized her doctoral dissertation in theoretical frameworks which were unfamiliar to her and thus reached an important milestone. She is working on developing these ideas in an academic paper as well as an opinion piece.
In sum, Dr. Hussain reached her goal of identifying ways to connect her research on urban issues with larger debates in international security. Still, a lot remains to be done since her work veers off from the beaten path and proposes approaches which are not common in neither urban studies nor international security. Thus, while she has reached her goal, she still has to continue her efforts in FY 2017 to produce more scholarship to be able to put her point of view across to scholars and practitioners working on these issues.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Dr. Hussain’s future research plans include publishing a paper based on her dissertation using theoretical frameworks she identified in FY 2016. This paper will serve as a bridge between urban studies and political violence, two fields which have been largely separated. She has already conducted ground work for this paper and thus will find it easier and less time-consuming to finish this paper. The expected audience of this paper will be academics working on urban conflict and political violence.
In addition, she intends to conduct fieldwork in another case study for comparative analysis with Karachi, her original case study. As previously mentioned, she has not finalized this city yet but she hopes to do so in FY 2017 and will work on operationalizing this endeavor.
Lastly, during FY 2017 and FY 2018, she will integrate these findings in either a couple of papers or a book, contingent on time and other issues. Her top choice remains writing a book based on her findings but she is mindful at the same time, that she could aim for a quality article as well instead of the book during the duration of this fellowship (in case, it takes some time to write the book). She will credit JSPS for all the support to finance this research, regardless of the format of the final product.
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