Anthropological Studies of Mobilities and Materialities

Keywords

Body,Infrastructure,Materiality　

Objectives

With the advancement of globalization, the migration of people has increased in terms of both scale and diversity. The objective of this research project is to gather findings on how people in the modern world migrate on Earth—from livelihood activities to tourism—and conduct a comparative analysis on human migration with a particular focus on material aspects that inevitably accompany migration. First, using cases from members who have been conducting research on the movement of people as a common theme, we will examine the material aspects unique to each migration case, with body, infrastructure, materiality as key concepts. Then we will conduct a comparative analysis of the commonalities and differences between cases from three points of view: 1) region (e.g. Asia, Europe), 2) migration background (e.g. refugees, tourism), and 3) means of movement (e.g. on foot, by car). Considering the movement of people as a practice in which connections are created on an ad hoc basis between people, things, and the environment in response to the given circumstances, we will elucidate the various aspects of materialities inherent in human migration through the above-mentioned activities.