Comparative Study of Population and Family in East Asia Using Historical Panel Databases

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H03139
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Area studies
• Research Institution: Reitaku University
• Principal Investigator: Kurosu Satomi 麗澤大学, 外国語学部, 教授 (20225296)
• Research Collaborator: CAMPBELL Cameron ; DONG Hao ; KAWAGUCHI Hiroshi ; Lee Sangkuk ; NAKAZATO Hideki ; TAKAHASHI Miyuki ; TSUYA Noriko ; YANG Wen-Shan
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 東アジア / 歴史人口学 / 多世代パネルデータ / イベントヒストリー分析 / 宗門人別改帳 / ライフコース / 家族 / 歴史人口Big Data

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on comparable panel datasets of household registers from Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea during 1700-1945, we analyzed how demographic behaviors, including birth, death, marriage, adoption and migration, were shaped by household socioeconomic status and co-resident kin in historical East Asia. We found similarities as well as variations characterized by different family systems and practices between these populations. Efforts were also made to expand the panel datasets. We achieved a substantial improvement for microdata construction of Japanese historical population. Overall, this research project contributes to a systematic understanding of family dynamics and individual life courses of premodern East Asia from a longitudinal comparative perspective. It also provides insights in understanding the low fertility in contemporary East Asia by linking past to present.

Free Research Field

社会学、歴史人口学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

東アジアの歴史人口における家族とライフコースの類似性と相違性を、歴史人口データベースを活用した人口学的行動の分析によって実証的に明らかにした先駆的研究である。東アジア社会における家族システムの相違を明らかにしたとともに、これまで西欧社会が中心となっていた歴史人口学の枠組みではとらえられない世帯や親族の重要性という新しい視点を示すことができた。また本研究の過去と現在をつなぐアプローチや東アジアの歴史人口における類似性の発見は、超少子高齢化が進む現代の東アジア社会の理解にも大いに示唆を与える。