JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
JP19H01400 FY 2019-2021

Anthropological Study of Cultural Heritage:
Its "Social Behavior" Observed in East African Cases

Anthropological Study of Cultural Heritage: Its Social Behavior Observed in East African Cases

In the four countries located in eastern Africa, this project will make comparative analysis of cultural heritage in a broad sense by clarifying its utility and contradiction concerning it, and establish a way to build an open community rather than narrow regionalism or nationalism. For this purpose, the members will describe the character of each country’s cultural heritage, and clarify conditions where people enhance a sense of community through cultural heritage. They not only observe events but also make "field experiments" in which they intentionally show images and information on local heritage unfamiliar to the people whose reactions are elicited. This project draws attention to the social behavior of cultural heritage which connects human relationships and divides it oppositely.