Ethnographic Research Project

If I had the time and resources necessary to undertake an ethnographic fieldwork project anywhere in the world, I would venture to one of the major metropolitan areas of Japan, such at Tokyo or Osaka. The primary focus of my study would relate to concepts and understandings of Japanese history had by young people living in Japan today. The field work would consist of interviewing a number of students at various universities within the confines of the city. The people interviewed would not have to specialize in history or any other social science. In fact, it would be preferable to interview a number people who have different areas of study. The interviews would presumably take place on campus or other setting that would allow for the interviewee to contemplate the questions asked and to respond in truthful manner. Each person interviewed would be asked to sign a form which serves as a contractual agreement that I have the right to use the data collected from the interview within my article or other form of presentation of my findings. The interviews would be conducted with the aid of an interpreter since I do not speak Japanese. I would record each interview so that I could review the actual discourse while compiling and analyzing my data. This study would be worthwhile since an analysis of how a people view their own history is greatly indicative of their worldview. According to a few professors of East Asian History at IU Bloomington, many young people in Japan today know very little about the history of their country. This is due to the fact that Japan is the only first world nation which has an “official history,” or a view of history that is proclaimed by the government to be the only right interpretation. Therefore, this study would also be reflective of how worldview and concepts of national identity can be altered by how history is understood or utilized within a given cultural context.

This blog entry is my response to the Chapter Seven Reflection Question.