Research Project on Articulations of Indigenous Knowledge in Hokkaido (ARAIKH)

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26284135
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Gayman Jeffry Joseph 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 准教授 (80646406)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 飯嶋 秀治 九州大学, 人間・環境学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (60452728) ; 小田 博志 北海道大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (30333579) ; マーティン カイリー・アン 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 特任准教授 (90570474)
• Research Collaborator: lewallen ann-elise カリフォルニア大学サンタバーバーラ校, School of East Asian Studies, 准教授 ; Vayayana Tibusnugu'e (Wang Ming-Huey) 台湾師範大学, 地理系, 准教授
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: アイヌ民族 / アクション・リサーチ研究 / 先住民族 / 共同研究 / 先住民族の知識

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project represents the first collaborative conceptual research project between Ainu cultural activists and Japanese university researchers to be carried out in history. In addition to making significant progress toward clarifying a number of barriers to the Ainu peoples' access to their own Indigenous knowledge (IK), it was confirmed that the action research methodology of conducting joint workshop sessions between Ainu activists/cultural bearers and foreign Indigenous-identified scholar-activists was a strong catalyst to Ainu participants' empowerment and motivation to engage with Ainu IK.
Simultaneously, it was discovered that the emphasis on storytelling which spontaneously arose through these workshops was both a characteristic of, as well as a catalyst to, the various participants' knowledge/identities. The action research methodology employed, as well as the unique method of proceeding via storytelling, have garnered the attention and praise of international scholars.

Free Research Field

文化人類学