Online Archive by David H. Slater
Recently, young people have been out on the Tokyo streets and in the mass media in opposition to ... more Recently, young people have been out on the Tokyo streets and in the mass media in opposition to Prime Minister Abe’s efforts to pass the State Secrecy Acts, the “reinterpretation” of Article 9 of the Constitutions and the Security Bills. None have garnered more interest or exerted more influence than SEALDs, Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy. They are worthy of attention for various reasons, but we should note at the start they are the first college-based social movement in 50 years to have drawn such attention in their efforts to directly address the Japanese government’s policy. They are speaking out in favor of constitutional democracy, due process and respect for popular opinion; for peace in Asia and social equality within Japan.
http://tohokukaranokoe.org/
This is a course website from our on-going research project that col... more http://tohokukaranokoe.org/
This is a course website from our on-going research project that collects oral narratives from the individuals and communities affected by the 3.11 triple disaster in Tohoku, Japan. We have collected more than 500 hours of narration, all transcribed in Japanese, from which we have selected short clips for easy viewing. So far, it is just in Japanese but we are working on the English. We are always interesting in collaborators who wish to use this full archive so please contact me if you are interested.
Books by David H. Slater
Postwar Japan was often held up as the model example of the first mature industrial society outsi... more Postwar Japan was often held up as the model example of the first mature industrial society outside the Western economy, and the first examples of "middlemass" society. Today, and since the bursting of the economic bubble in the 1990s, the promises of Japan, Inc., seem far away. Social Class in Contemporary Japan is the first single volume that traces the dynamics of social structure, institutional socialization and class culture through this turbulent period, all the way into the contemporary neoliberal moment. In an innovative multidisciplinary approach that includes top scholars working on quantitative class structure, policy development, and ethnographic analysis, this volume highlights the centrality of class formation to our understanding of the many levels of Japanese society. The chapters each address a different aspect of class formation and transformation which stand on their own. Taken together, they document the advantages of putting Japan in the broad comparative framework of class analysis and the enduring importance of social class to the analysis of industrial and post-industrial societies. Written by a team of contributors from Japan, the US and Europe this book will be invaluable to students and scholars of Japanese society and culture, as well as those interested in cultural anthropology and social class alike.
This book is the first collection of ethnographies in English on the Japanese communities affecte... more This book is the first collection of ethnographies in English on the Japanese communities affected by the giant Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
of 11 March 2011 and the ensuing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It brings together studies by experienced researchers of Japan
from field sites around the disaster zone. The contributors present the survivors’ struggles in their own words: from enduring life in shelters and
temporary housing, through re-creating the fishing industry, to rebuilding life-ways and relationships bruised by bereavement. They contrast
the sudden brutal loss of life from the tsunami with the protracted anxiety about exposure to radiation and study the battle to protect children,
family and a way of life from the effects of destruction, displacement and discrimination. The local communities’ encounters with volunteers
and journalists who poured into Tohoku after the disaster and the campaign to win compensation from the state and nuclear industry are also
explored. This volume offers insights into the social fabric of rural communities in north-eastern Japan and suggests how the human response to
disaster may be improved in the future.
""ボランティアやジャーナリストを感嘆させ戸惑わせた礼儀正しさと支援拒否の態度はどこからくるのか、放射能という見えない被害を受けとめ伝える思惑は何か、そして大震災という非常事態のなかで人々はどの... more ""ボランティアやジャーナリストを感嘆させ戸惑わせた礼儀正しさと支援拒否の態度はどこからくるのか、放射能という見えない被害を受けとめ伝える思惑は何か、そして大震災という非常事態のなかで人々はどのように日常を取り戻そうとしているのか。そこに、大災害を乗り越える東北の文化的伝統あるいは革新的変化の兆しを見出すことができる。長年日本に住み研究に携わってきた著者らが、現在進行形の災害を生き抜く人々の姿を描く「被災地」の民族誌。
3・11は終わっていない。 「被災地」となった東北地方を目の当たりにした人類学者、社会学者、ルポライターの国際チームが、現地での徹底したフィールドワークを基に書いた渾身のエスノグラフィー。""
Through examination of contemporary Japanese society, this book demonstrates that the analysis of... more Through examination of contemporary Japanese society, this book demonstrates that the analysis of class formation is fundamental for a clear understanding of institutions and collective identity such as family, school work, gender and ethnicity.
Papers by David H. Slater
Japanese review of cultural anthropology, 2014
The 3,M disasters forced upon anthropologists in Japan a series of questions about our own releva... more The 3,M disasters forced upon anthropologists in Japan a series of questions about our own relevance and the relevance of ourdiscipline to the world around us/ how can we contribute to both an amelioration and an understanding of the pain suffered by so many so close to home? Will this contribution be "anthropological" and if so, in what way? This research note outlines the efforts of our project, Voices from Jbhoku, to address these problems through direct action in the form of volunteer work and through the creation of a data base of oral narratives collected on video from different communities all over the affected region-the two primary components of a "public anthropology" as we see them. The resulting product is called "The Archive of Hope" (tohokukaranokoe.org). Key werds: Disaster, public anthropology, archive, oral narrative, Japan We were mostly various students from Sophia University, undergraduate and graduate, Japanese and foreign and the fu11 range of in'betweens that characterize the Faculty of Liberal Arts, the majority up in Tohoku fbr the first time. At night, we would talk things over, trying to "think anthropologically" about the disaster and the dynamics of volunteering. Working our way through local volunteer and civic .lbpanese Revtew of'CulturalAnthropology, vol. 15, 2014
The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, 2020
This is a collection of original articles on diverse vulnerable populations in Japan in the wake ... more This is a collection of original articles on diverse vulnerable populations in Japan in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic The effects of COVID-19 are felt differently, with some among us at much greater risk of infection due to preexisting health and welfare conditions For others, perhaps more than the risk of infection, it is the precautions taken to mitigate the risk for the whole population, such as lockdowns and business closures, that have pulled away the already fragile safety net of state and civil society organization (CSO) support, leading to increased marginalization and social exclusion The goal of this set of papers is to document the conditions of those that have been most directly affected by the virus and to provide background on the conditions that made them vulnerable in the first place, notably chronic conditions that are brought into more obvious relief in light of emergency measures Each of the authors had a pre-established relationship with those affected...
In the context of the global increase in displaced people, spiking to nearly 80 million in these ... more In the context of the global increase in displaced people, spiking to nearly 80 million in these corona times, Japan has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of applications for refugee asylum since 2010 Despite increasing numbers of applications, Japan has not increased its refugee recognition rate Unable to return home to sure persecution when rejected, many refugees end up in Japanese detention centers once their visa expires Like jails, hospitals and detention centers everywhere, detention centers in Japan are crowded and dangerous and unable to protect the detainees inside Japan has been slower than many other countries to take precautions, including temporary release This paper outlines some of the policy shifts that have led to this dangerous situation, the conditions of anxiety inside the detention centers themselves in Tokyo and Ibaraki and the problematic situation of "provisional release" of some detainees into a corona-infested Japan without any safety n...
Melbourne Asia Review, 2021
In 2015, a group of young and 'cool' Japanese college students known as the 'Student Emergency Ac... more In 2015, a group of young and 'cool' Japanese college students known as the 'Student Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy' (SEALDs), captured the nation's attention through a series of vibrant street protests in opposition to the administration of Shinzo Abe's controversial set of security bills, attacks on free speech, and a disregard for the democratic process. One of the notable aspects of SEALDs, beyond their ability to mobilise the largest crowds at demonstrations since the 1970s, was their capacity to simultaneously navigate mainstream and social media platforms, making them widely recognisable to the Japanese public. However, their notoriety also drew detractors on the Internet in message boards and Twitter accounts popular with Japan's online right-wingers know as the 'netouyo.' The online backlash towards the movement included trolling, exposing personal details of members' lives, and threats of physical and sexual violence. While netouyo attacked both male and female SEALDs members, the attack lines were often racialised and gendered in distinct ways to delegitimise the student group's broader political message. SEALDs seemingly came out of nowhere in the summer of 2015. Initially gaining attention through street demonstrations and social media platforms, SEALDs' activism began to be featured regularly in mainstream media. At least initially, much of the media took the student activists seriously. Several news broadcasts and variety shows celebrated SEALDs members as examples of youth's active interest in
Disasters and Social Crisis in Contemporary Japan, 2016
What are we talking about when we talk about “crisis”? Sometimes we think of it as disequilibrium... more What are we talking about when we talk about “crisis”? Sometimes we think of it as disequilibrium, an unbalance that leads to insecurity, and maybe disintegration. But a real crisis has to be more than that—it has to be a systemic failure, a collapse of functionality, a breaking apart of the structures of order and authority, control and efficacy themselves. It is a shock to a complex system, a moment when the different pieces and dynamics have fallen out of sync to such an extent that it is impossible to continue in the way things have gone before. In both the 1995 Kōbe (Hanshin-Awaji) Earthquake and the 3.11 triple disasters of 2011, this is what we saw.
１ 被災地の内と外（支援を拒む人々—被災地支援の障壁と文化的背景；ボランティア支援における倫理—贈り物と返礼の組み合わせ；３．１１と日本の若者たち—学生ボランティアの新しい仕組みと体験談） ２ ... more １ 被災地の内と外（支援を拒む人々—被災地支援の障壁と文化的背景；ボランティア支援における倫理—贈り物と返礼の組み合わせ；３．１１と日本の若者たち—学生ボランティアの新しい仕組みと体験談） ２ 見えない被害と向き合う（彼ら対我ら—福島原発危機にかんする日本と国際メディアの報道；「汚染」と「安全」—原発事故後のリスク概念の構築と福島復興の力；場所と人の関係が絶たれるとき—福島第一原発事故と「故郷」の意味；立ち上がる母—受身の大衆とマヒした政府の間で戦う女性たち） ３ 被災者たちの日常（「皆一緒だから」—岩手県山田町の津波避難所における連帯感；がれきの中の祭壇—大震災を経験した岩手県での信仰習慣の順応；家も、船も、いかだもなくなった—大震災後の宮城県沿岸地域の人々）
Tomo was a first-year and Keiko a third-year student at Musashino Metropolitan High School,1 a wo... more Tomo was a first-year and Keiko a third-year student at Musashino Metropolitan High School,1 a working-class high school in western Tokyo. I have known them since the early 1990's, when I began working at their school. Two snapshots from those first years illustrate some features of family background, survival strategies, and career trajectories. These are features that they share with many working-class youth all over Japan, especially in the urban areas where public schools are more finely ranked and the labor market is larger, but also more unstable and precarious. Part I of sketches how class and culture are interrelated within the context of Japanese secondary education. Part II focuses on the ways different class groups navigate the transition from middle to high school. Part III focuses on the sorts of orientations, goals, and strategies that characterize school culture at Musashino High, a place where working-class culture takes institutionalized form through practice. The final part traces these young people's trajectories into the bottom rungs of the service labor market and into their new status as "freeter."
Critical Asian Studies, 2014
ABSTRACT The triple disasters of 11 March 2011 in northeastern Japan have exacerbated existing vu... more ABSTRACT The triple disasters of 11 March 2011 in northeastern Japan have exacerbated existing vulnerabilities and created new ones all over the Tohoku region. In Fukushima, the fear of radiation has been compounded by the perception of the state's failure to provide timely and relevant information to local residents. This lack of information has particularly affected one of the most vulnerable segments of the population, young mothers with children, forcing many to make impossible choices between supporting the economic rebuilding of their communities and protecting their children from the threat of radiation. Based on detailed ethnography and interviews conducted from just weeks after the disaster, this article discusses the ongoing struggle of women to find a place of safety and a voice of protest in the face of local and national efforts to silence their fears. The women in this area, I do not think that they really want to get organized. Especially the younger women, they do not have the background or independence that we used to. They are more timid. They need to fight harder if they want real change.—A labor organizer from Fukushima, female, late sixties Sometimes I look up to Fukushima, all of those people pushed off their land by radiation, and especially the mothers with babies, and I think, “If this does not make them active, nothing will.” I mean, it is only so long we can keep marching down here if they do not join us.—An organizer of the protests in Tokyo, male, late twenties Critical Asian Studies
Contents: Tom Gill/Brigitte Steger/David H. Slater: The 3.11 Disasters - David H. Slater: Urgent ... more Contents: Tom Gill/Brigitte Steger/David H. Slater: The 3.11 Disasters - David H. Slater: Urgent Ethnography - Brigitte Steger: Solidarity and Distinction through Practices of Cleanliness in Tsunami Evacuation Shelters in Yamada, Iwate Prefecture - Nathan J. Peterson: Adapting Religious Practice in Response to Disaster in Iwate Prefecture - Johannes Wilhelm/Alyne Delaney: No Homes, No Boats, No Rafts: Miyagi Coastal People in the Aftermath of Disaster - David McNeill: Them versus Us: Japanese and International Reporting of the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis - Ikeda Yoko: The Construction of Risk and the Resilience of Fukushima in the Aftermath of the Nuclear Power Plant Accident - Morioka Rika: Mother Courage: Women as Activists between a Passive Populace and a Paralyzed Government - Tom Gill: This Spoiled Soil: Place, People and Community in an Irradiated Village in Fukushima Prefecture - Tuukka Toivonen: Youth for 3.11 and the Challenge of Dispatching Young Urban Volunteers to North-eastern Japan - David H. Slater: Moralities of Volunteer Aid: The Permutations of Gifts and their Reciprocals.
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Online Archive by David H. Slater
This is a course website from our on-going research project that collects oral narratives from the individuals and communities affected by the 3.11 triple disaster in Tohoku, Japan. We have collected more than 500 hours of narration, all transcribed in Japanese, from which we have selected short clips for easy viewing. So far, it is just in Japanese but we are working on the English. We are always interesting in collaborators who wish to use this full archive so please contact me if you are interested.
Books by David H. Slater
of 11 March 2011 and the ensuing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It brings together studies by experienced researchers of Japan
from field sites around the disaster zone. The contributors present the survivors’ struggles in their own words: from enduring life in shelters and
temporary housing, through re-creating the fishing industry, to rebuilding life-ways and relationships bruised by bereavement. They contrast
the sudden brutal loss of life from the tsunami with the protracted anxiety about exposure to radiation and study the battle to protect children,
family and a way of life from the effects of destruction, displacement and discrimination. The local communities’ encounters with volunteers
and journalists who poured into Tohoku after the disaster and the campaign to win compensation from the state and nuclear industry are also
explored. This volume offers insights into the social fabric of rural communities in north-eastern Japan and suggests how the human response to
disaster may be improved in the future.
3・11は終わっていない。 「被災地」となった東北地方を目の当たりにした人類学者、社会学者、ルポライターの国際チームが、現地での徹底したフィールドワークを基に書いた渾身のエスノグラフィー。""
Papers by David H. Slater
This is a course website from our on-going research project that collects oral narratives from the individuals and communities affected by the 3.11 triple disaster in Tohoku, Japan. We have collected more than 500 hours of narration, all transcribed in Japanese, from which we have selected short clips for easy viewing. So far, it is just in Japanese but we are working on the English. We are always interesting in collaborators who wish to use this full archive so please contact me if you are interested.
of 11 March 2011 and the ensuing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It brings together studies by experienced researchers of Japan
from field sites around the disaster zone. The contributors present the survivors’ struggles in their own words: from enduring life in shelters and
temporary housing, through re-creating the fishing industry, to rebuilding life-ways and relationships bruised by bereavement. They contrast
the sudden brutal loss of life from the tsunami with the protracted anxiety about exposure to radiation and study the battle to protect children,
family and a way of life from the effects of destruction, displacement and discrimination. The local communities’ encounters with volunteers
and journalists who poured into Tohoku after the disaster and the campaign to win compensation from the state and nuclear industry are also
explored. This volume offers insights into the social fabric of rural communities in north-eastern Japan and suggests how the human response to
disaster may be improved in the future.
3・11は終わっていない。 「被災地」となった東北地方を目の当たりにした人類学者、社会学者、ルポライターの国際チームが、現地での徹底したフィールドワークを基に書いた渾身のエスノグラフィー。""