Anthropology of migration in the Asian Waters through the construction of everyday life of the fishermen in the water's edge space

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03235
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Japan Women's University
• Principal Investigator: Nishimura Kazuyuki 日本女子大学, 人間社会学部, 准教授 (70328889)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 漁民 / 移動 / アジア / 中国 / インドネシア / 水際

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study is an anthropological research focusing on Asian waters where global migration develops in the background of high economic growth. Specifically, I conducted a　research at the east coast Taiwan by interviews and participate observation for Taiwanese fishermen and residents (consisting by Chinese and indigenous people), and foreign fishing workers (coming from China and Indonesia). At this time, the fishing port and the fishing boat could be treated as “the water's edge space” and analyzed. It was clarified based on ethnographic data that the migration of foreign fishing worker in this space created various boundaries such as ethnic, religious, economic, political means, and the boundaries changed their forms depending on political and economic situations and ethnic group relationships. Taiwan's fishermen's society is made up of culturally diverse members, and represents the everyday world where mixed values is needed in today's increasingly globalized society.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

1990 年代以降、台湾外から訪れる漁業出稼ぎ労働者は、すでに「例外」的な住民として地域社会で認知されており、彼らがいない漁業地の姿はあり得ない。複数の民族集団からなる日常が展開する新しい社会のあり方を移動する主体に接近して考察した。水際空間には、漁業に従事する漁民とその周辺の人々が暮らす日常が展開する本研究は、水際空間で展開する所与とされる枠組みや境界が、ある時は明示強調されある時は不明瞭にそして柔軟になる様を、人々の生活実践の中から明らかとした。これは、異なる隣人との日常を生きる上で必要となる、新しい社会観の構築に発展する人類学的研究と位置づけられる。