America as the world's museum: Global regional geography by reexamining immigration and base culture

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23251002
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Geography
• Research Institution: Nihon University (2012-2014); Tokyo Gakugei University (2011)
• Principal Investigator: YAGASAKI Noritaka 日本大学, 文理学部, 教授 (30166475)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YAMASHITA Kiyomi 筑波大学, 生命環境系, 教授 (00166662) ; KAGAMI Masahiro 東京学芸大学, 教育学部, 教授 (60185709) ; NEDA Katsuhiko 奈良教育大学, 教育学部, 教授 (50192258) ; YAMANE Hiroshi 富山大学, 人間発達学部, 教授 (30222376) ; ISHII Hisao 共立女子大学, 国際学部, 教授 (70272127) ; URABE Hiroyuki 獨協大学, 国際教養学部, 教授 (30306477) ; OISHI Taro 関西学院大学, 国際学部, 准教授 (70433092)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 地理学 / グローバル地誌 / 移民 / 人口移動 / 博物館 / アメリカ合衆国 / 多民族社会 / 基層文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Immigrant groups have brought cultures from their native places the world over to the United States in the history of its development. Those cultures came to constitute America’s base culture, which consists of old cultural elements. Regional geography of the United States used to focus on the surface layer, i.e. newly formed American ways of living and production. In recent years, however, immigrant groups attempt to reevaluate, restore, recreate, and publicize their own cultures as American society became more tolerant to the ethnic diversity. A new approach to the regional geography of the United States is proposed by paying attention to the cultural relics, immigrant museums, and commodification of immigrant cultures. The United States needs to be viewed as the world’s museum.

Free Research Field

地理学