Anthropological study on emotion and representation of arts in post conflict Sri Lanka

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370937
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Hitotsubashi University
• Principal Investigator: Ashiwa Yoshiko 一橋大学, 大学院社会学研究科, 教授 (30231111)
• Research Collaborator: Bandhu Ravi ; Dissanayake J. B. ; Gombrich Richard ; IGARASHI Rina ; Asoka Mendis de Zoysa ; Obeyesekere Gananath ; Perera Anoli ; Perera Sasanka ; Pothupitiya Pala ; Ratnayake Madhubhasini ; Zhang Xianqing
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 仏教寺院 / 壁画 / 芸術 / ポスト・コンフリクト / パブリック・アート / 寓話 / 文化表象 / 和解

Outline of Final Research Achievements

My main research is on the murals of Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka since late 19th.century, focusing on their contents, structure, artists, social and historical contexts, and influence on people. Key findings are; 1) murals, which are mostly about the life of Buddha, history of Buddhism, Buddhist royal kings, and Jataka stories, evoke visual sensations among people who have had violent and emotional experiences during ethnic conflicts and helps to project their experiences through the images of murals; 2) people could gain meanings for their experiences, and achieve religious reconciliation, including criticism on the perpetrators of the violence. Murals had significant functions as contemporary allegories, and the social roles of artists from the traditionally low caste community are highly demanded; 3) Buddhist temples, as image houses, have pursued socially committed public art, as the public art of specific museums and art spaces in Western society.

Free Research Field

文化人類学