2016 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Moratorium migration in contemporary post-growth Japan: Lifestyle volunteers between insecurity and fulfilment
Project/Area Number |
16K03212
|
Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
Principal Investigator |
KLIEN SUSANNE 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 准教授 (20725048)
|
Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
|
Keywords | Lifestyle migration / urban-rural / moratorium / volunteering / work life balance / ethnography / alternative lifestyles |
Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
As scheduled, follow-up ethnographic fieldwork has been conducted in Tokamachi Town, Niigata Prefecture and in Ama Town, Shimane Prefecture in spring and summer 2016 respectively. The principal investigator also completed ethnographic fieldwork in Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture in March 2017. All ethnographic investigations yielded abundant empirical data from individual and group interviews with lifestyle migrants between 20 and 40 as well as participant observation in the field about the key issues of this research project. Analysis of the empirical data reveals that the majority of migrants struggle to realize their aspirations of a more meaningful life and narratives contain both references to orthodox values as well as post-growth change.
|
Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The research project has gone rather smoothly as the investigator already knew her field from previous fieldwork. Abundant data could be obtained from individual and group interviews as well as participant observation and material compilation. The principal investigator has presented her research and received valuable feedback at domestic and international conferences and workshops in Japan, US and UK (invited). She is presently also preparing her manuscript for a book to be submitted to a US academic press. However, fieldwork in Tohoku had to be postponed due to strong earthquakes in 2016, but will be carried out this year.
|
Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Follow-up fieldwork will be conducted in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures and initial fieldwork is also planned in Higashikawa Town and Horokonai Town, Hokkaido in 2017. Furthermore, the principal investigator intends to visit the National Diet Library to access further research material necessary for this project. Work on a book manuscript to be submitted to a US academic press is to be continued. Furthermore, the investigator has been accepted with a panel on lifestyle migration for the upcoming conference of the European Association of Japanese Studies (EAJS) in Lisbon, Portugal, with colleagues from the US and Japan in September 2017.
|
Research Products
(5 results)