Local Arts and Arrangements Indexing Absence in Reconstruction

• Published in: The Japanese Journal of Developmental Psychology Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 336 - 343
• Main Author: Kawano, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Society of Developmental Psychology 20.12.2023
• Subjects: Absent arrangement; Festival; Local act; Relational Subjectivity; The Great East Japan Earthquake
• ISSN: 0915-9029; 2187-9346
• DOI: 10.11201/jjdp.34.406

This case study used the perspective of sociomateriality to elucidate the role of culture in reconstruction. The researchers observed a community affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and identified processes through which cultural experiences become associated with people and other societal phenomena. Using the stated approach, this study determined the types of agency that were elicited within people during the recovery process. Furthermore, it evaluated the role of culture in stimulating resilience. The secondary sources of this study comprised three research reports on the local performing arts of the Usuzawa community in Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture. The analysis of these sourcesrevealed that (1) the cultural mechanisms or arrangements of people and objects that have sustained the traditional performing arts were transfigured directly into shelter management. The shelter became the backdrop for the local performing arts during the recovery process, empowering evacuees and village residents. (2) The celebration of cultural festivals evoked a relational subjectivity with the external world. (3) Finally, the collective agency is driven and manifested by arrangements of absence.