Change of Local Communities and Reconstruction of Community Cultures after Disasters in Japanese Archipelago

Changes in local communities and disasters threaten the diversity of community cultures in the Japanese Archipelago. This project examines the impact of such challenges through multiple viewpoints including language, resource preservation, symbolic representational system and environmental protection. By engaging in practical discussions with members of local communities, insights on their perspectives can be gained and collected, and then integrated into efforts that assist communities in reconstructing their cultures.
 

Rethinking Eco-health in Asia

Currently our ideas about health focus mainly on biomedical interventions rooted in research on disease rather than on positive health concepts. “Ecohealth” is an emerging research field that explores health concepts in daily life as they relate to ecology, lifestyles, livelihoods, and food culture, against a backdrop of rapid social and environmental change in Asia. This project combines interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to incorporate humanities and human culture to help us understand evolving approaches to health. We examine historical concepts of health and contemporary case studies of social and environmental changes in East and Southeast Asia. One of our objectives is to establish a research network on Ecohealth in Asia.

Development of a Field of Comprehensive Bibliographical Studies from an Interdisciplinary Perspective

Texts passed down from ancient times (Japanese pre-modern texts) contain a wealth of information that extends beyond actual content. These include details about paper, ink and binding. In addition to studying the texts through reading, deeper knowledge about Japanese literature can be attained by incorporating perspectives of other disciplines. We are able to reexamine meanings and unearth knowledge held by our ancestors and understand further the impact of the writings. As the lead institution, NIJL coordinates the overall project. It works in conjunction with NIJL’s Institute-based Project. Research results are consolidated into general educational programs as well as "Comprehensive Bibliographical Studies," a new academic discipline.