大学共同利用機関法人 人間文化研究機構　国立民族学博物館

Objectives

This research, through consideration of the concept of risk, aims to review the lifestyles of people who are directly confronted with future uncertainty. Along with the advance of globalization, we have seen more intimate global-scale ties concerning people, things and information. As a result, people in various societies have more than in the past become embroiled in conditions of uncertainty. Such uncertainty has given rise to the expression "risk society." Risk is found in various sectors, looming as things that require calculation of probabilities and volitional decisions, which in turn become a problem demanding attention. For anthropologists risk is a problem directly facing people which can be an object of survey. Alternatively risk is something inherent in various forms in research. The question is then what the mechanisms of risk are, and in the application of risk to various areas, what the impact on lifestyles in various societies and basic concepts, such as personality, subjects, and social things is. An additional question is what the relationships are between such risks and attitudes and practices regarding future uncertainty that anthropologists have previously discussed. This joint research considers these issues through discussions among fellow anthropologists who face risks in various areas of development, medical care and environmental issues.