A study on the structure of life support for remote evacuees after the Great East Japan Earthquake

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K04178
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: Waseda University (2018-2019); Urawa University (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Oshima Takayo 早稲田大学, 人間科学学術院, 准教授(任期付) (70523132)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 災害支援 / 原発事故 / ソーシャルワーク / 文化 / 語られたもの

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to reconsider the concept of regionality which is regarded as important for the practice of community development. Then, we discuss the necessity of the conception of “culture” to consider regionality and the characteristics of the communities. In several studies have been shown methodologies of practice, we focus on only the resources in physically configured community areas. However, regarding the support of the disaster-stricken area, we found some cases which revealed that even things except physical resources were helpful too.
We suggest the necessity of reconsidering the notion of culture and including it to think about community development. The future challenge is to describe the model of a practical method including the component “culture”. Then it is also going to try to regard culture as a key concept for support of the displaced people who are forced to move far away by disaster, such as the Fukushima nuclear accident caused.

Free Research Field

社会福祉学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

東日本大震災後の原発事故による広域避難者は、従前のコミュニティを軸とした共生社会を構築することが困難な場合もある。今までの社会福祉実践で、特に地域福祉の方法論における「地域性」の重視は、物理的なコミュニティに存在する有形な資源や、無形であっても人々のつながりなどといったものを重視してきた。しかし、原発事故の避難者への支援を考えるにあたり、地域性だけでは説明できないものもあるのではないだろうか。
避難者の経験などによって紡ぎ出された共通の意味体系、文化といえるようなものの中に、これからの生活や生き方を支える本質的なものがあると思われる。そのような目に見えにくいものにも価値を置くべきである。