Border Culture as a Strategy for Defying Intolerance and Revitalizing Diversity in Contemporary US

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00396
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02030:English literature and literature in the English language-related
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: Kina Ikue 琉球大学, 国際地域創造学部, 教授 (20284945)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: アメリカ文学 / diversity / hybridity / 境域文化 / 不寛容

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research aims to explore what is happening to cultural and social values such as "diversity" upheld as the national ideals in the U.S. and "hybridity," which have become increasingly important as it emerged as postmodern thought in the late 20th century. Through the analysis of literary discourse and cultural representations of "borderlands," particularly focusing on regions rich in racial and cultural diversity and hybridity, such as California, within the United States, the study intends to examine how the discourse of "intolerance," which is gaining momentum in today's American political landscape, confronts imagination towards others. It attempts to provide a perspective on the challenges facing American literature and culture in the 21st century.

Free Research Field

アメリカ文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、「自由」や「民主主義」といった、アメリカ人の根幹をなす思想と、それを体現するアメリカ社会やアメリカ文学が、21世紀に入って、さまざまな要因による影響で、どのように変容しているのかを究明するとともに、なぜこうした価値観の普遍性が担保できないのかという社会的理由を追究する。このことは、アメリカ社会にのみ通用するものではないと考えられ、我が国の社会のあり方にとっても有用な分析になると思われる。