Narrative Politics of “Tolerance／Intolerance” in the Global Era

Keywords

tolerance,narrative,stranger

Objectives

It is anticipated that trends in human migration will intensify and multicultural conditions will spread in tandem with rapid advances in globalization. Many of the Western nations referred to as the Great Powers have experienced heavy inflows of migrants from former colonies. This is an ironic phenomenon that deserves description as unexpected in one sense yet inevitable in another. Under these global-scale changes in the social environment coupled with a changing media environment that transcends oral and written traditions, the experiences of those who have welcomed “strangers” they perceive as cultural outsiders have reached a scale that defies comparison in either qualitative or quantitative terms with the scenarios portrayed by past versions of the “outsider theory.” Moreover, in this age of large-scale human migration, having an experience as an outsider is something that to some extent could apply to anyone. The problem is that these trends have fueled conflicts of varying scale and led to the rise of increasingly “intolerant” societies.
　
In this study, we will explore the “outsider theory” for clues that can aid in addressing and resolving these conditions. The academic traditions of cultural anthropology and ethnology have amassed a body of research on the “outsider theory,” which has to do with the acceptance, rejection, scorn, fear, admiration, and other notions and behaviors associated with the treatment of outsiders, or “strangers.” This study aims to reconsider and rectify viewpoints and methodologies that derive from the “outsider theory” and on that basis explore paths to the solution of modern issues from a humanities perspective.

Research Results

In fiscal 2018, the project’s first year, the study group focused on sharing the understanding of the issues and theoretical framework behind the joint research among its members. Of particular note, an international symposium was held on the topic of “The Silk Road and Cultural Exchange: Human Mobility, Representation, and Narratives” featuring researchers from institutions including the Silk Road Research Center, Kwansei Gakuin University and the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). In fiscal 2019, the study group discussed the fundamental constructs of outsider theory, such as “outsiders,” “aliens,” and “others,” examining myths and folk stories related to these concepts and relating them to the results of cultural anthropological and folkloric research surveys conducted in various regions, with a focus on the societal conditions in which these tales were told. In fiscal 2020, although the study group was unable to meet in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings were resumed from the fall onward via videoconferencing systems, with presentations continuing to operate on a rotating basis as in the previous year. The group focused on exploring the relationship between stories, including myths and folk tales regarding outsiders, new forms of contemporary narratives, and contemporary issues. In fiscal 2021, meetings continued to be held online due to the prolonged pandemic and the group endeavored to examine the potentials of narratives. Discussions were held on the fundamental question of “what narratives mean to humanity” and on the possibilities of narratology as a new field of anthropology. In fiscal 2022, the research term was extended for an additional year, with each member of the team working to write their respective articles, while the principal researcher focused on preparing for publication of the research findings, including organizing and editing each article and negotiating with publishers.