Speak up: Elderly Women's Voices in Japanese Literature and Culture

2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12916
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: 全 素賢 名古屋大学, 国際機構(環), 講師 (10827059)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Narratives of Aging / Japanese Women Writers / Women and Aging

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

As the first year of my research, I aimed to develop my primary sources and analysis on three writers’ works: Tanabe Seiko, Kirino Natsuo, and Ozawa Yuki. With the Coronavirus situation I had to change my scheduled visit to a library of Tanabe Seiko in Osaka. My study was more focused on Ozawa and Kirino, because their works have gained recognition in Korea and US and it is valuable to develop the comparison the interpretation of their works and their interactions with each culture. Also, instead of visiting Tokyo and interviewing the NPO, I obtained some materials from the NPO and kept researching about their activities. Because of the difficulty of collecting primary sources this year, I shifted my focus to developing the secondary sources about the relation between aging and women issues in Japanese literature and culture.
I also started to join in a collaborative project with scholars who are studying Japanese women writers in United States via on-line meeting and emails. This project will be published later(2022); the possible book title is, Handbook of Modern and Contemporary Japanese Women Writers. The book will offer a comprehensive overview of women writers in modern Japan, from the late 19th to the early 21st centuries. This collaborative work is meaningful to provide a balanced view on Japanese women writers, the research of whom has not given enough attention to the stories of elderly women and their significant and positive contributions to Japanese literature and culture. I will contribute a chapter on “Women and Images of Aging”(working title, in progress).

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

As the 1st Year (AY 2020), my primary plan was to further accumulate my fundamental sources for my research about Tanabe Seiko by visiting the library of Tanabe Seiko in Osaka and collecting Tanabe Seiko’ works , and interviewing the NPO, the Women’s Association for a Better Aging Society (Kourei shakai wo yoku suru josei no kai), in Tokyo for a deeper understanding of the relationship between aging and women’s issues in Japanese society. However, because of COVID-19 and the emergency situation, the research plan to Osaka and Tokyo (also, interview plans) was repeatedly postponed, and I had to reschedule to the second year (AY 2021). This condition caused a delay to my intended research, but I have adjusted my schedule and proceeded with a revised approach.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Considering the current social circumstance, I will keep conducting my literary analysis and try to collaborate with other scholars and the NPO for the further research. Although the visiting and interview might be limited considering the vulnerability of the elderly people and writers with whom I want to collaborate, the academic area of my research could be more active, with scholars in other countries reachable through on-line means. I can participate in MCAA or AAS in Asia conference presentations, and I will proceed to prepare for presentations of my work (working topics are "Disaster and Elderly Women's narratives," "Disaster, Community, and Women from comparative perspectives") based on the situation develop more my research in Japan.

Causes of Carryover

Because of my adjusted research schedule during this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the State of Emergency declarations, I did not spend the scheduled budget to research travel (honorary fee) to Tokyo and Osaka. Assuming a smooth rollout of the vaccine and a more open travel environment this year, I plan to undertake the Year 1 plans in Year 2.