Anbiguity of Indigenous Discourses on Colonial Experiences- Anthropological and Interdisciplinary Study on Apology and Reconciliation

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H05689
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Ashiya University (2020, 2022); Kobe University (2016-2019)
• Principal Investigator: Kubota Sachiko 芦屋大学, 臨床教育学部, 教授 (80268507)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 先住民 / アボリジニ / 記憶 / 歴史 / 植民地経験 / 和解 / 謝罪 / 両義性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project is aimed to analyze the discourses on colonial experiences of indigenous people. From this, we tried to discuss the theme concerning the apology and reconciliation being initiated by the mainstream society. I interviewed a several related women in their seventies who experienced Christian mission days which started in 1940s in Arnhem Land, north Australia. I recorded their discourse of historical colonial experiences, affinity feelings to the missionaries, and their personal histories (similar to mythology). And they often cross-cuts each other. Based upon these very unique discourses, we had a several sessions with overseas collaborative members as well as local scholars in Australia and developed our discussions on ‘Memory, History and Reconciliation’. Some of these research results have already been published or presented at the conferences.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

オーストラリアをはじめとする多くの国では現在、先住民との関係性の正常化が大きな社会問題となっており、少数者たちの記憶や歴史語りが表明され、注目され、和解、謝罪、返還、補償などが世界に共通するキーワードとなっている。そのような中にあって、先住民の語りから、どのように記憶が読み取れることが可能で、そのうえで和解には、何が必要かを考える本研究は、現代社会の重要な問題に貢献するものであることは間違いない。また、学術的にも人文社会科学においても大きな議論を呼んでいる歴史と記憶の問題に、ミクロなデータから切り込むことができていると自負している。