IGESSIGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences)

This is an introductory course on Japanese rural society from a cultural anthropology/ human geography point of view. The main objective is to develop an understanding of Japanese rural society and its contact points with sustainability arguments among the students. It is designed in a way to engage the students to read and understand key literature on the subject, as well as to provide a roadmap for further exploration.

In this course, students will develop a good understanding of the rural societies of Japan, including rural landscapes, and their change, and they will be able to analyze them through recent sustainability literature. The students will become aware of various related issues in Asian and global contexts which will give them a broader idea of the sustainability of rural landscapes in general. This will be helpful for their further studies/research in sustainability studies.

英語 / English

Lectures will be combined with student presentations (2 sessions). There will also be opportunities for reflection and discussion on the lectures/readings. Students are required to come prepared to the class and complete assignments on time.

Feedback on assignments submitted by students will be provided in class or through the Learning Management System.
Please note that the teaching approach may vary according to which threat level we are at. The details will be announced through the Learning Management System.

あり / Yes

なし / No

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

Week 1：Understanding cultural anthropology and its connection to rural society

What is cultural anthropology? How cultural anthropology can be applied for ‘deeper’ understanding of human-nature relationships.

Week 2：Concept of landscapes

What are landscapes? How concept of landscapes can be applied to the study of rural societies.

Week 3：Satoyama and Satoumi ecosystems of Japan

What are Satoyama and Satoumi? Satoyama and Satoumi as cultural landscapes and seascapes, their role in sustaining the rural society.

Week 4：Role of rural landscapes in society

Role of rural landscapes in language, social relations, gender, ethnicity, identity in Japan: Examples from field studies

Week 5：Rural depopulation

Rural depopulation in Japan and its effects on Satoyama/Satoumi environments

Week 6：Methods for studying rural societies

Cultural anthropological methods to study rural societies with illustrative examples.

Week 7：Case studies

Examples of rural socio-ecological landscapes from Japan and their changes -(Part A) Satoyama landscapes of Shirakawa-go, active volcanic landscape of Aso, matagi hunter-gatherers of the Shirakami mountains.

Week 8：Case studies

Examples of socio-ecological landscapes from Japan and their changes -(Part B) Satoumi seascapes. The ama female divers of Ise-island, fishing villages of Seto-Inland sea, traditional nearshore fisheries in Okinawa.

Week 9：Factors of degradation and restoration efforts of Satoyama and Satoumi

Factors of degradation of traditional rural landscapes in Japan, recent ventures for their revitalizations.

Week 10：Different epistemologies of rural landscapes 1

Towards a transdisciplinary approach to understand rural societies: Unification of different epistemologies of inland and coastal areas, and their cultural relations to Japanese society.

Week 11：Different epistemologies of rural landscapes 2

Towards a transdisciplinary approach to understand rural societies: Unification of different epistemologies of inland and coastal areas, and their cultural relations to Japanese society.

Week 12：Presentation

Student presentations and discussions (Individual or group presentation will be decided based on the number of students enrolled).

Week 13：Presentation

Student presentations and discussions (reserve day).

Week 14：Summary

Summary of course and wrap-up.

Preparatory study and review time for this class are 2 hours each.

There is no strict requirement for buying textbooks but the following books will be followed in general

•Satoyama: The Traditional Rural landscapes of Japan. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Robert D. Brown, Izumi Washitani, Atsushi Tsunekawa, Makoto Yokohari (Eds.). Springer, Tokyo, 2003.

•Social and Cultural Anthropology: The Key Concepts. Nigel Rapport. Routledge, London. 2014.

Further Readings:
The Ecological Transition: Cultural Anthropology and Human Adaptation. John W. Bennett. Pergamon Press, New York. 2014.

Japan's Shrinking Regions in the 21st Century. Peter Matanle, Paul Rausch & the Shrinking Regions Research Group. Cambria Press, London. 2011.

Other materials will be distributed in Class.

Class participation and discussions: 20%
Presentations: 30%
Final report: 50%

No significant changes were required based on students' comments.

None.

Please note that if the number of students attending the first class significantly exceeds expectations, in order for the instructor to effectively manage the class, the number of students who are allowed to register for the course may be limited.