Research Background
This research project is entitled ‘Anthropological Studies on Transnationalism with special reference to “Street” Phenomena’ (Toransunashonarizumu to ‘Sutoriito’ Genshō no Jinruigakuteki Kenkyū), or more informally as the ‘Street Anthropology’ project. It is headed by Prof. Yasumasa Sekine of Japan Women’s University and was launched in academic year 2004, after being selected for a grant by the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan. Members meet at the museum four times a year (three times in the first year); meetings are conducted in Japanese. Originally designed as a three-year project, it has recently been approved for a fourth year which will take it into spring 2008. To date it has met ten times, hearing presentations from researchers active in a wide variety of fields that relate to street phenomena. Abstracts of presentations may be seen (in Japanese only) at this address:
http://www.minpaku.ac.jp/research/jr/04jr070.html
This venture has its roots in a previous research project also held at the National Museum of Ethnology, entitled ‘Toshiteki-naru Mono’ towa Nanika?’ (What is the Urban?), also led by Yasumasa Sekine. The fruits of that project were published in a book entitled ‘Toshiteki-naru Mono’ no Genzai: Bunka Jinruigakuteki Kōsatsu (The Present Condition of the Uraban : Cultural Anthropological Inquiries), published in February 2004 by University of Tokyo Press. The present street anthropology project was designed to build on the achievements of the urbanism project.
The fact that this project builds on two previous ones gives it an extremely firm foundation, without which the present project could never have been imagined. The continued discussions between project members and guest speakers with a rich variety of fields and research interests constitutes a valuable asset and a shared foundation for continued research. We view this as part of an on-going process in which members will take with them the perceptions gained in debate at our meetings as they return to the field to make further and deeper studies of street phenomena. We place great emphasis on the research contributions of the senior members of the group, while also strongly encouraging the younger members to engage in relevant fieldwork. The developments of present-day society will surely live most vividly in the fieldwork conducted by young researcherswho are sensitive to the trends of the times, and we keenly anticipate fresh insights from their endeavors. While we have held regular meetings for three years now, we are keenly aware that there has still not been enough fieldwork done, and that an intense need remains to carry out more detailed observation and recording of street phenomena in locations around the world.
