Handicrafts as a Community Resource and Cultural Recovery after Disaster in India

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26360035
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Area studies
• Research Institution: National Museum of Ethnology
• Principal Investigator: Kanetani Miwa 国立民族学博物館, グローバル現象研究部, 外来研究員 (90423037)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 災害 / 復興 / 手工芸 / インド / ローカル文化 / 集団移転

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to clarify the reconstruction process of a community affected by a large-scale natural disaster by examining the case of a traditional handmade textile maker in Gujarat, India, an area affected by an earthquake in 2001. 1) The textile maker constructed a new village and attempted to transfer the production base. 2) The textile, which was produced through indigenous skill, was understood to be “handicrafts,” which became a widely accepted symbol in the global market. 3) “Handicrafts” attracted domestic and international disaster relief and created a support network, becoming a driving force for the construction of new villages. In conclusion, textile makers use “handicrafts” as a community resource to gather domestic and international support and drive successful reconstruction.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

世界的に大規模自然災害の発生により甚大な被害を受ける地域は増えている。我が国においても、2011年の東日本大震災後、地域社会の復興を迅速にすすめるための知識や手法の確立は喫緊の課題となっている。社会的要望に応えるかたちで、社会や文化の復興にかかわる文化人類学的研究の成果は近年蓄積されはじめている。長期にわたって被災社会を観察した本研究の成果は、災害研究の比較研究や普遍化に意義があり、日本国内外における災害復興の課題にも寄与するものである。