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2015 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

マイナーヒストリーの社会学―それを担う人々の実践に注目して

Research Project

Project/Area Number 15J09629
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

LEE ROSA SAES BYEOL  東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 特別研究員(DC2)

Project Period (FY) 2015-04-24 – 2017-03-31
KeywordsMinor history / Reconciliation / Historiography
Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The major outcome of my research in the financial year of 2015 is the discovery of different variations in minor history, which I refer to as a set of narratives retelling the past marginalised from authorised histories such as national histories. This finding was gained from an investigation into the reproduction and use of minor histories in Japan and Australia. I examined how forgotten colonial pasts such as the Ned Kelly gang, Shinsengumi, Indigenous Australians and the forced and indentured labourers have been treated in the national histories of their respective countries. The comparative study confirmed my hypothesis that the narratives about untold colonial past emerged from the 1960s initially as a counter-history to the dominant (national) history, and gradually developed into personalised histories that are distinguishable from the dominant narrative as histories written from a personal point of view. It also led to the discovery of ‘post-authentic history’, a term I coined to refer to historical narratives constructed from an individual’s perspective and self-authorised by the narrator as an authentic history. Furthermore, the potential of these histories to facilitate dialogues about historical reconciliation could be discerned from my participant observation of a grassroots movement based in Hokkaido. These findings were received in international conferences with positive feedback and warrant a more detailed inquiry into the working mechanics of the reproduction of social relations through the communication of minor histories.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

Overall, this research project progressed as expected in 2015 with positive outcomes. There were some minor changes such as the postponement of observing the Hakodate Goryokaku Festival, and of the submission of an article in a Japanese journal due to a need to prioritise other projects such as participating in the events organised by my research informants and publishing in an article in a Korean journal at the request of one informant. These changes were necessary not only to maintain sound rapport with the informants, but also to observe a pivotal turning point in the development of my research subject (a grassroots social movement). Moreover, it is not likely that undertaking the postponed research activities in the following academic year would have any significant impact on research findings. My academic supervisors are also satisfied with the progress and direction of this research.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Since this research could benefit from further ethnographic study to confirm and clarify the findings about the function of minor history as a mediator of communication, I will continue to conduct follow-up interviews of my research informants and make further observation of events about minor history in Hokkaido and Australia. I also plan to share the results of this study in the form of a journal article in an academic journal, and an oral presentation at the 2016 Asian Studies Association of Australia Conference. At the time of this report, this research does not appear to require a long-term ethnography of the history-making practices of Indigenous Australians as I had initially thought, but it would still require an exploration of the reproduction of marginalised colonial histories at large. Furthermore, if necessary, the time allocated for an extended stay in Australia may be spent elsewhere to consult relevant academics in order to further my theoretical foundation.

  • Research Products

    (3 results)

All 2016 2015

All Journal Article (1 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Acknowledgement Compliant: 1 results) Presentation (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Gangje nodongja eu '70 neyonman eu kwihyang' eul dorabomyeo2016

    • Author(s)
      Lee, Rosa Saes Byeol
    • Journal Title

      Yeoksa wa cheghim

      Volume: 9 Pages: 300~319

    • Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
  • [Presentation] Coming Together and Across through the Forgotten Remains of Hokkaido: Reconciling the Past at the Fringes of the Nation-States2015

    • Author(s)
      Lee, Rosa
    • Organizer
      Wounds, Scars, and Healing: Civil Society and Postwar Pacific Basin Reconciliation
    • Place of Presentation
      The University of Sydney. Sydney, Australia
    • Year and Date
      2015-09-30 – 2015-10-02
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The Perks and Pitfalls of Living in Historical Flux: How Individuals Change their Societies with Marginalised Memories2015

    • Author(s)
      Lee, Rosa
    • Organizer
      The 2015 Japanese Studies Association of Australia Conference
    • Place of Presentation
      La Trobe University. Melbourne, Australia
    • Year and Date
      2015-06-30 – 2015-07-03
    • Int'l Joint Research

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Published: 2016-12-27  

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