Research on the cultural history of reconstruction; housing policy, inhabitant's experience and memory in war damaged city

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K22019
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0103:History, archaeology, museology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Waseda University (2022); Osaka University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Nishii Marina 早稲田大学, 社会科学総合学術院(先端社会科学研究所), 助教 (30836078)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 戦災都市復興 / 広島 / 戦災者援護 / 戦後住宅対策 / 復興の記憶

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study, focusing on the reconstruction of Hiroshima as a case study, examines the following two themes concerning the relationship between war-damaged urban reconstruction and the local residents.
A] The formation process of collective memory of war-damaged urban reconstruction in postwar Japanese society. [B] The actual situation of housing measures in the city during the war-damaged reconstruction period.
Through this study, we found that reconstruction projects, housing measures, and relief for war victims were not mutually linked to rebuild the lives of residents. The study also revealed that memories of the reconstruction of the A-bombed cities support the sending of positive and proactive messages, even though they encompass the experience of the difficulties that residents faced during the reconstruction period.

Free Research Field

日本近現代史、都市研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、戦災都市復興を住民がどのように経験したか、という点に加え、被災地域は過去の戦災復興という経験を現代においてどのように記憶し活用していくか、という点について研究した。戦災都市復興は、敗戦後の困難の「克服」という、未来志向で肯定的な歴史上の経験として広く記憶・認識されてきた。復興事業において大規模開発が先行し、被災者の生活再建を支え、守るよう求める声が繰り返しあげられることは、決して新しい現象ではなく、敗戦直後の空襲による廃墟からの都市部の復興過程でも生じていた事態であり、戦災復興の実態と記憶、とくにその両者の内容の乖離が如何にして生じたかについての解明は、現代的な課題でもある。