Basic research to construct an folkloristic perspective on the "Crisis" of local communities

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K20070
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0104:Geography, cultural anthropology, folklore, and related fields
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: TSUJIMOTO Yuki 弘前大学, 地域創生本部, 助教 (80958950)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 危機 / 現代民俗学 / 不確実性 / 災害 / 戦争 / 人口減少

Outline of Final Research Achievements

First, this study summarized the history of research on "Folkloristics of Crisis" and pointed out two problems with previous research: (1) it has not captured the inability of people to cope with crises, and (2) it has not captured the complexities and uncertainties of crises themselves.Next, this study conducted fieldwork in the sea and mountain villages in the northern Tohoku region, which have faced tsunami and food crises, and found that local communities face crises not only due to the uncertainty of future disasters but also due to complex factors such as population decline, the location of war and military bases, etc.

Free Research Field

文化人類学・民俗学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は「危機の民俗学」の視座を、理論・事例研究の両面から構築したものであり、「危機」について論じてきた人文学・社会科学の他分野の成果と対話可能となる点で、学術的意義を有する。また、人口減少等、地域社会における現代的な「危機」に着目した点は、学術的意義にとどまらず、自治体の政策立案等に資する社会的意義を有している。