Rotating Savings and Credit Associations in Okinawan Society: An Anthropological Study of Exchange between City and Viilage

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370948
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Hirano-Nomoto Misa (野元美佐) 京都大学, アジア・アフリカ地域研究研究科, 准教授 (40402383)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 貨幣 / 交換 / 沖縄 / 模合 / 祝儀

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I conducted on-site and literature surveys on the Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA), called Moai in Okinawa Prefecture, and clarified its cultural background from the perspective of exchange. Compared with mainland Japan, exchange of money, goods, etc. is very active in Okinawa. What supports this vigorous exchange is the will of the people whose intention it is to have diverse and wide networks, as well as celebrations and the “gathering” system that includes Moai. While economic and social change have influenced this culture for a long time, it is the effort and creativity of the people that sustains this exchange culture to the present day.

Free Research Field

文化人類学