◆ ILCAA Joint Research Project
'Single' and Family: The anthropological study of "Enishi (karmic/relation/connection)"
(April 2010 - March 2013, Project coordinator: Wakana Shiino)
Summary of the project: This research is about the people who are categorized as 'single'in the society from the standpoint of socio-cultural anthropology. We will studyby paying specific attention to the existence of the 'single' and the way of life, by using Enishi, a Japanese word, which mean karmic/relation/connection.
At that time, we focus on 'single'in society and concerned about family and kinship relations, and in addition, on the relationship between "single" and the state which put considerable impact on the individual person.
Towards a Multi-disciplinary Approach for Developing and Harmonizing Field Methods in Anthropology and Development Studies
(April 2010-March 2013, Project coordinator: Ken Masuda (Nagasaki University))
This project aims at exploring multi-disciplinary fieldwork research methods in the area of social development as a contemporary practical study. The focus is on four main goals.
1.To place the anthropological field methods, like participant observation and qualitative interviews, in the context of social investigation in a broad sense.
2.To explore a combination of different methods including qualitative research and quantitative investigations such as epidemiology, statistics, GIS.
3.To consider the possibility of technical fusion through examination of the outcome of the Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) in Asia and Africa.
4.To find new ways of applying these methods to actual development subjects.
Each development program requires "field work" to confirm facts and identify problems to be solved. However, it is thought that the methods of investigation should be quick and prompt as in the Rapid Ethnographic Method (Rapid Appraisal). Members of this project are interested in inventing new methods that pay attention to "noise," which is likely to be trimmed by such a prompt and "linear" investigation; members are also interested in combining such methods with anthropological "spiral" movement of thinking. This approach will make social development fieldwork more fruitful in the light of increasing demands for qualitative research methods among development practitioners.
Anthropology of Trans-area Migration in East/Southeast Asia: Culture, Ethnicity and Identity Within Cross-marriage/Cross-divorce Network
(April 2010 - March 2013, Project coordinator: Kayoko Ishii (Toyo Eiwa University))
Human society in Evolutional Perspectives (2): "Institution"(April 2009 - March 2012, Project coordinator: Kaori Kawai)
This project aims at developing theoretical perspectives on the nature of human society, paying due attention to comparison along the evolutionary axis between non-human primates and human societies. It will contribute to this connection and to rethinking the plausible extent to which "culture" plays in the formation of characteristically human society. At the second stage of the long-term research project, the focus will be on the "institution", following the "group" as the focus of the previous stage.
Indonesian Manuscript Project
（April 2009 - March 2012, Project coordinator: Koji Miyazaki）
AIM OF PROJECT: The aim of this project is to explore new perspectives in the studies on Indonesian cultures, societies and languages, by developing methods of using Indonesian manuscripts as the source of study. It is also planned to train young researchers in these fields.
WORK PLANNED: Focus is put on Javanese manuscripts in this three years project. Thorough research on catalogues and existing inventories, the project members, in collaboration with researchers overseas, will contribute to constructing a database of Javanese manuscripts and corpora which will form the basis for further studies on Java. It is planned to expand the scope of the project to the manuscripts written in other Indonesian languages, after the three years activities of the project
Anthropological Study of Globalizations in Asia and Africa (April 2008-March 2011, Project coordinator: Yuko Mio)
◆ Research Project funded by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from JSPS
Anthropological Study on History of Flows of Maritime Products in Sulu Maritime World
(April 2008-March 2013, Project Coordinator: Ikuya Tokoro)
Changes in sexuality in East Africa and the possibility of the strategy of life of 'single' people
(April 2008-March 2012, Researcher: Wakana Shiino)
Thinking the balance-sheet of friendship / hostility between East African pastoral ethnic groups: Multi-layeredness of coexistential situations
(April 2008 - March 2011, Project coordinator: Kaori Kawai)
Comparative Study concerning Naturalization of Palestinian Refugees in the Middle Eastern Countries
(April 2008-March 2011, Researcher: Aiko Nishikida)
This research project focuses on legal, administrative and social aspect of naturalization of Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon and Kuwait, and investigate the meaning of citizenship and nationality for them.