2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Cross-Cultural Analysis of Postwar Repatriation Narratives in Japanese and Asian Literatures
| Project/Area Number |
22K13035
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
ランブレクト ニコラス 大阪大学, 大学院人文学研究科(人文学専攻、芸術学専攻、日本学専攻), 助教 (60845981)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-04-01 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | 引揚げ / 脱植民地化 / 移動文学 / ポストコロニアル / 帰国 |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This project continues to contribute to the study of postwar repatriation narratives in Asia through its careful consideration of the connections between works of Japanese-language repatriation literature (known as hikiage bungaku) and literature written in a variety of languages about postwar voyages from Japan to other Asian nations.
Millions of returnees crossed Asia to reach old or new homelands in the aftermath of World War II, including repatriates to Japan (usually called hikiagesha), but the consequences of this mass migration event have remained understudied for decades. The cross-cultural analysis undertaken by this project not only expands our understanding of postwar Japanese literature by situating it in a broader international context, but also highlights the importance of overlooked narratives from other areas of Asia where the concept of "repatriation literature" has so far failed to gain traction. Through an examination of how the effects of repatriation have been recorded in literature, the project grants us new insight into both postwar history and contemporary societies across Asia. The diverse writings from Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, Micronesia, and the Soviet Union juxtaposed by this project illustrate the richness of postwar repatriation narratives and reveal how many crucial postwar experiences were shared by writers and migrants from a range of geographic regions.
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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
During the second year of the research project, emphasis shifted from collection of new materials to the evaluation of materials already on hand, visits to remote archives including the Micronesian Area Research Center in Guam, and participation in international conferences in South Korea, the United States, and Japan. In particular, the improving international travel situation made it possible to present research results on organized panels to audiences at the annual conference of the Association for Asian Studies and at the annual AAS-in-Asia conference. Presentations at these conferences focused both on the key bidirectional aspect of postwar migration in Asia, and on how postwar migration events in Asia have been memorialized in literature across a number of languages. I was also able to act as a commentator for the presentations of international researchers focusing on similar themes at other conferences in Japan and South Korea.
Participation in additional conferences and workshops has been confirmed for the 2024 academic year, and writing developed on the basis of past conference activity will result in the release of multiple international publications before the end of the project term.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Analysis of archival materials related to postwar repatriation in Asia will continue to address the new questions about historical memory and its lacunae that have emerged over the course of the research project. Articles written on these topics are already scheduled to reach the publication stage during the 2024 academic year. Further, because work will proceed in several languages this year, there will be many opportunities to involve international researchers in the process of completing the project.
Continued participation in major international conferences, such as the annual Modern Language Association conference in New Orleans in January 2025, will present opportunities to consult with editors at English-language academic presses about the publication of a book-length study involving the comparative analysis of repatriation literatures across Asia.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Most project expenses are proceeding as planned. Travel difficulties during the 2022 academic year caused by the global pandemic necessitated a rollover of funds and activities into the 2023 academic year. With the improved travel environment after May 2023, several previously delayed trips for archival research and for disseminating research results at international conferences were made over the course of the year. While most delayed travel was completed during the 2023 academic year, the remainder will be carried out during the 2024 academic year. This will include follow-up travel to domestic archives in Japan and participation in the Modern Language Association annual conference in the United States.
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Research Products
(4 results)
