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2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

A Social Anthropological Study of Globalisation and Egyptian Karate-ka's Practice of Nation

Research Project

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Project/Area Number 17K13595
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Research Field Cultural anthropology
Research InstitutionNational Museum of Ethnology

Principal Investigator

Aishima Hatsuki  国立民族学博物館, グローバル現象研究部, 准教授 (40622171)

Project Period (FY) 2017-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Keywords身体 / 社会階層 / エジプト / 教養 / 美的感覚 / 新自由主義 / 空手 / モダニティ
Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project approached karate as a cultural practice of the Egyptian middle classes and a prism through which to examine how national cultures are redefined and the social classes ideals are performed in the contemporary Middle East. I conducted ethnographic field research among karate practitioner communities (athletes, coaches and family) in order to understand how the urban middle classes experience globalization and deal with neoliberalism in their everyday lives.
When I wrote the project proposal, I hoped that I would be able to observe the globalization of Japanese culture in the Middle East by tracing the spread of karate. However, during the course of research, I have come to understand that Egyptians regard karate as a global sport and its Japanese or Okinawan origins did not bear much significance to them. Karate is a means to join the global flow which is a rare opportunity for those who are situated at the margins of the international political economy.

Free Research Field

社会人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

空手はエジプトでサッカーに次いで二番目に競技人口の多いスポーツである。1980年代以降、中流層の子女の習い事として定着している。東京オリンピックで女子が組手でメダルを2つ獲得した際に、凱旋帰国したナショナルチームをピンク色の二階建てバスが空港で出迎えた。まさにナショナリズムが実践される場面であった。
本研究課題を構想したときは、空手を通じて日本文化のグローバル化について考察できることを期待していた。しかし、エジプトの空手家コミュニティにおいて、日本との繋がりは全く見いだせなかった。空手がエジプト社会に定着し、起源があいまいになったことこそが、グローバルスポーツの特徴であるという結論に至った。

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Published: 2025-01-30  

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