2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Sites of Contestation or Connection? Japan's imperial heritage and borders of memory
| Project/Area Number |
23H00781
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | International Research Center for Japanese Studies |
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Principal Investigator |
BOYLE EDWARD 国際日本文化研究センター, 総合情報発信室, 准教授 (30760459)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
古川 浩司 中京大学, 法学部, 教授 (00340183)
飯高 伸五 高知県立大学, 文化学部, 教授 (10612567)
バリガ マリア・シンシェア 早稲田大学, グローバルエデュケーションセンター, 助教 (10895428)
池 ヒョン周・直美 北海道大学, 公共政策学連携研究部, 准教授 (30443914)
清水 佳理 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 研究院研究員 (50894929)
ブル ジョナサンエドワード 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 講師 (60735736)
Ivings Steven 京都大学, 経済学研究科, 准教授 (70817957)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2023-04-01 – 2027-03-31
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| Keywords | borders / heritage / memory / history / Japan / empire |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This project examines how sites of heritage influence contestation and
reconciliation between communities. This project develops the concept of borders of memory in order to understand heritage sites as spaces where distinct narratives and memories come into contact, and applies the concept to heritage sites associated with Japan’s Empire, both in Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific. This first year has refined the project's concept, conducted intensive, collaborative fieldwork in two locations, co-ordinated future plans and goals with the project's co-investigators, and published the first fruits of the project. An additional edited volume featuring the PI and three of the co-invetigators will appear in 2024.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The research project is developing very smoothly, thanks to excellent feedback and the cooperation of the co-investigators and research collaborators. The PI workshopped the borders of memory concept at Trans-Asian Mnemoscapes: Rethinking the Politics of Memory in Asia, at AAS-in-Asia, and at the EAJS 2024 Conference. A first conceptual outline was published as "Introduction: Heritage Sites and Borders of Memory" and made available Open Access. The concept was brainstormed with co-investigators at a workshop in Tokyo. Fieldwork was conducted with Naomi CHI in Pohang, Guryongpo, and Pusan in the Republic of Korea, with Maria-Cynthia BARRIGA in the US territory of Guam, and by the PI on Tinian and Saipan in the CNMI. Fieldwork and workshop plans for next year are well-advanced.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The project will develop a series of creative methodological approaches through joint fieldwork and the co-curation of techniques between PI and Co-Is, including: fieldwork, historical and archival work; surveys, elite interviews and media analysis; and, ethnographic studies with narrative and policy analysis. These mixed-methods will enable the PI to analyze how borders of memory shape the local, regional, national and transnational presence of heritage sites, and to determine if such borders demarcate contestation or connection. The project’s methods will be refined as the project moves from overtly contested heritage sites (e.g. Korea) to those which memorialize superficially reconciled relations (e.g. Taiwan, Palau). At least two workshops are in the pipeline for next year.
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