2019 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Research on the Memory of Repatriation in Postwar Japanese Literature: With Special Emphasis on New Developments in English-Language Studies
| Project/Area Number |
19K23041
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
ランブレクト ニコラス 大阪大学, 文学研究科, 助教 (60845981)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-08-30 – 2021-03-31
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| Keywords | 引揚げ / 戦後文学 / 脱植民地化 / 移動文学 / ポストコロニアル |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This project contributes to the development of the emerging academic field examining repatriation literature (hikiage bungaku) written by repatriates who returned to Japan after the Second World War (hikiagesha). It concentrates upon integrating the work now being performed separately in Japanese-language and English-language studies on repatriation. Significant progress has been made on two principal fronts. First, the discourse on repatriation to Japan has been compared to discourse on other instances of repatriation in international contexts, such as that seen in literature on repatriation written by members of the Pieds-Noirs community in France. These efforts have benefitted from a multilingual approach and represent an important step toward unifying cross-cultural theories of repatriation literature.
Second, the project's research on Japanese-language literature to date has focused upon the work of canonical Japanese authors who underwent repatriation, including examination of writings that do not explicitly reference postwar repatriation or mention it only in passing. This is in accordance with the stages set out in the original research plan, in which lesser-known authors and the effects of "amateur" works will be considered during the second year of the project.
Productive research has continued at a reasonable pace despite the challenges posed by travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled visits to archives and international trips have been delayed, but there have also been unexpected opportunities for online research collaboration.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Collection of written research materials on repatriation in English and Japanese and the process of coordinating with foreign and domestic scholars working on repatriation have proceeded smoothly. In particular, compilation of a body of texts for study has progressed more smoothly than initially planned. One underlying goal of the project has been to prompt the field to include a greater number of works as objects of study when undertaking research into repatriation literature, rather than employing a definition of repatriation literature that places restrictions upon the scope of research. I have identified many rare or out-of-print works from several regions that illustrate the importance of this effort. Future work will necessarily entail further development of my theoretical framework in order to incorporate these additional texts.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has made both domestic and international travel difficult. Many domestic archives have closed unexpectedly, and I have been forced to cancel planned attendance at international conferences. This has hindered my ability to disseminate results in conference settings, although I am continuing to prepare written materials for publication and will be ready to proceed when travel restrictions are relaxed. Currently, online conferences and workshops are providing opportunities to announce results.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In the coming year the written materials on repatriation in English and Japanese assembled during the initial months of the project will be used to carry out the original research plan. I will pursue opportunities to present research results locally to a variety of audiences in Kansai, including on the Osaka University campus, and to publish articles in journals in Japan, the United States, and South Korea. Significantly, I will complete a proposal for a book-length study on Japanese-language repatriation literature.
I intend to undertake additional research trips to literature museums in Kanagawa and Hokkaido and to events at repatriation museums in Nagano, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Fukuoka. The feasibility and timing of these trips will be determined according to the progress of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, my preliminary research should guarantee that trips to domestic archives will be productive when they become possible. I will also publicize results at domestic and international conferences. I am scheduled to present initial results on an international panel at the AAS-in-Asia Conference this summer; the conference was originally scheduled to take place in Hong Kong, but its relocation to Kansai should guarantee my ability to attend regardless of travel restrictions. In addition, I will reapply for the 2021 Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference in Seattle in light of the cancellation of the 2020 conference.
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| Causes of Carryover |
A significant international trip to the United States budgeted at approximately 500,000 yen was scheduled for March, including attendance at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference in Boston and a presentation at a subsequent international conference. However, both of these events were cancelled at the last minute due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant reduction in project costs for the 2019 fiscal year. I now plan to attend the March 2021 Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference in Seattle as a replacement for the original trip, so the amount carried over to the 2020 fiscal year will be used for these purposes.
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