International Research on Relationship among Minority, the Vulnerable and Immigrants: Theoretical and Empirical Reconsideration

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24530668
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Rikkyo University
• Principal Investigator: IWAMA Akiko 立教大学, 社会学部, 教授 (30298088)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YU Hyo-Chong 和光大学, 現代人間学部, 教授 (80230605) ; HIKICHI Yasuhiko 和光大学, 現代人間学部, 准教授 (30460041)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: マイノリティ / 移民 / 弱者 / ナショナル・マイノリティ / 少数民族 / 包摂 / 多文化 / 国際比較

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Different understandings of minority concepts across disciplines and in different countries often cause confusion, hindering accurate recognition of minority issues and development of minority research overall. Recent increases in immigration require a reexamination of the similarities and differences between minorities and immigrant.
Our comparative research revealed two types of minority concepts: 1) The “traditional/narrow” minority concept, in which only national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities are regarded as a “minority” and wherein such people need particular protection and consideration to maintain their uniqueness as a group. This minority concept is used in Germany, Russia, and China; 2) An “extended/broad” minority concept, which extends concept 1 to include LGBT, persons with disabilities, and others－in other words, vulnerable people with little power who have faced discrimination. This minority concept is used in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.

Free Research Field

社会学、マイノリティ研究、弱者研究