An Anthropological Study on Road Constructions in Mountainous Terrain of Himalaya

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13295
• 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: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: FURUKAWA Fukachi 九州大学, 比較社会文化研究院, 准教授 (00822644)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: インフラストラクチャー / 車道 / ヒマラヤ / ネパール / 観光

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the impact of road construction in the mountain tourism areas of Nepal on the local community and people’s practices. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have added research objectives to investigate how the pandemic has affected mountain tourism in Nepal, and what infrastructure supports mountain tourism in Japan. During the research period, three times of field research was conducted in Nepal, revealing that roads are desired in the mountainous regions of Nepal and the changes caused by roads are seen as continuous with conventional ways of life. Furthermore, it was revealed that while the number of tourists has recovered after COVID-19, unprecedented outmigration is occurring in highland villages.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、従来の移動研究ではさほど注目されてこなかった移動の微視的側面を、車道建設およびそれに伴った変化の渦中にある社会と実践への参与観察を通して描き出す点にある。このことは、急速な道路網の整備が進むネパールにおいて、道路が沿道社会に対して及ぼす影響を明らかにする点で社会的に重要な意義も備えている。また山がちな環境化で進行するネパール・ヒマラヤのインフラ開発の事例は、対照的にインフラの老朽化が進む日本の山間部のあり方を考えるうえでも有用な知見となるだろう。