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
| Project/Area Number |
15J09629
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
LEE ROSA SAES BYEOL 東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 特別研究員(DC2)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-24 – 2017-03-31
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| Keywords | Minor history / Reconciliation / Historiography |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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Research Products
(3 results)
