Survey and Research on Documents for Village Autonomy in Amami

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12610
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 04030:Cultural anthropology and folklore-related
• Research Institution: Okinawa International University
• Principal Investigator: Oikawa Takashi 沖縄国際大学, 総合文化学部, 准教授 (60728442)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 奄美群島 / 自治 / シマ / 民俗社会

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the self-governing system and its history in the Amami community known as "shima". As a method to achieve this goal, we searched for and organized documents on self-governance created in the Amami shima society since the modern era, and aimed to utilize them as materials for our research. As a result, (1) I was able to gain sufficient knowledge of the state and whereabouts of such historical documents. (2) I was able to clarify the reality of the self-government of the Amami Islands by utilizing modern archives, including self-governing documents. (3) I was able to discover and repair a merchant's account book as a related historical document, and was able to turn an important historical document into a research resource.

Free Research Field

民俗学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は学術的にはこれまで十分に明らかにされてこなかった、奄美のシマ社会の自治の仕組みについて一定の見通しをつけることに成功した。これにより、今後日本本土や沖縄のムラ社会の自治制度との比較研究が可能となり、個々の民俗社会の自治の仕組みやそれを支える諸慣行についての理解が進むことが期待される。
同時に奄美社会は戦後における復帰運動を典型として、日本社会には独自の民衆運動のダイナミズムが認められる地域である。この点で日本の民主主義や市民運動の特質を明らかにしていくうえでも、基礎となる研究成果となるものと考えられる。