2019 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Comparative Study of 19th century Ethnographic and Geographic Expeditions to the Northern Pacific region, as compared with Central Asian expeditions in a Global Historical Context
| Project/Area Number |
18K00919
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| Research Institution | Kansai Gaidai University |
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Principal Investigator |
BAILEY Scott 関西外国語大学, 外国語学部, 講師 (60814176)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
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| Keywords | cross cultural / ethnographic / North Pacific / geography / history / Japan / Russia / exploration |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
I was able to make significant progress on this project this year. The research trip to Hokkaido University's library allowed access to rare sources, both primary and secondary. Information was particularly useful on the explorer Vasily Golovnin, whose exploration and period of captivity in Hokkaido has become a major focus of the research. His cross-cultural and ethnographic reports have become a focus of the study. I was also able to publish an academic book on the topic. The book places Russian geographic and ethnographic expeditions to Central Asia in a comparative context, by comparing them with Russian exploration to the North Pacific. A chapter in another book was also published, as well as a journal article during the 2019 fiscal year. At the same time, it was difficult for me to spend all of the funds this year. I had planned to attend an international academic conference in September 2019, but needed to cancel my travel to that conference because of security issues in the country just prior to my trip.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned.
Reason
This project has progressed more smoothly than originally planned, both in terms of the research information collected and in terms of the research publication output. This has led to the publication of my first book on the project, as well as an article in an edited volume book, and another journal article during this fiscal year. Work is already also in progress on another journal article connected to the project, which adds another comparative element, which should be published in fiscal year 2020. The project has also spurred additional interest in collecting further information on the Japanese involvement in the North Pacific, which will add an additional comparative element to the project in the coming months. The information collected this past fiscal year from the research trip to Hokkaido University's library and the Northern Studies Collection has added a lot of useful information to the research project.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Although I have already made significant progress on the project, I wish to continue to delve further into the topic during the next year. I would like to continue to add to my research base of materials, both sources and technology tools which will make the research easier to facilitate. During the next year I especially plan to conduct more research using Japanese source materials, and will need to utilize the research funds in a way to support that. This will likely involve some travel expenses connected with visits to research libraries within Japan. I also plan to present my research at an international conference in the United States and will use some of the funds for travel to that important conference, which will expand exposure to my research. The next stage of the research will be challenging, but I am confident that I can continue to make good progress on this topic by adding this new comparative element.
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| Causes of Carryover |
I was unable to spend all of the funds in this year's budget because of two main reasons. One of my planned international conferences I was unable to attend due to security problems in that country prior to my planned travel. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic began to pose problems for safety of travel at the end of this fiscal year, which also made it difficult to spend this year's budget fully. In the next fiscal year, I plan to use the research funds in order to advance the new phase of the research. This will involve research conducted using Japanese sources, most of which can be located in Japanese libraries and archives. I will also need to order books and other research materials. I plan to also use the funds for travel to a historical conference in the United States, where I will present my latest research findings. Finally, I also plan to use the funds to purchase technology materials which will help me to conduct the next stages of this new comparative element of the research. This may include scanning devices, or other forms of media technology to facilitate my research process.
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Research Products
(10 results)
