ANTHROPOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENT IN JAPAN

This is one of the core courses of the Corso di Laurea "Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa".
Its formative objectives are within the area of cultural and humanistic skills learning.

At the end of the course, students will have acquired:

1. Knowledge and understanding
By the end of the course, students will have developed a solid critical understanding of the main theories and methodologies of environmental anthropology, with a specific focus on the Japanese context. They will explore the relationships between environment, society, and culture, paying particular attention to local land management practices, traditional ecological knowledge, and contemporary environmental transformations. Students will also be introduced to interdisciplinary theoretical approaches, such as multispecies ethnography and ecocriticism, which are useful for interpreting ecological dynamics through a cultural lens.

2. Ability to apply knowledge
Students will be able to apply the knowledge acquired to analyze specific cases related to environmental management in Japan, including rural practices such as hunting, farming, fishing, and resource conservation. They will demonstrate the ability to address complex issues using appropriate analytical tools, linking anthropological theories to real-world situations and current challenges such as environmental sustainability and ecological justice.

3. Capacity for independent re-elaboration and communication
Through independent reflection and critical thinking, students will be able to develop and articulate their own arguments, using the language and conceptual tools of the discipline effectively. They will be encouraged to communicate their analyses clearly and coherently, even in public or interdisciplinary contexts, demonstrating sensitivity to the active role of both human and non-human agents in shaping social and ecological landscapes.

It is recommended that students have an intermediate level knowledge of English (B2) in order to be able to expand on the content covered in the course by consulting reference texts. Familiarity with key concepts in environmental anthropology is also necessary.

This course offers an introduction to environmental anthropology as applied to the Japanese context, with a focus on the multispecies ethnography approach and the complex relationships between humans and animals in the rural contexts. Through also an interdisciplinary perspective, the ecological, cultural and social dynamics linking the human and nonhuman worlds will be examined, with attention to both material (subsistence practices, resource management) and symbolic aspects (cosmologies, rituals, cultural representations). The course addresses topics such as the role of traditional ecological knowledge, local ritual practices, community-based natural resource management patterns, and environmental transformation processes related to economic and climate change. Special attention will be paid to the analysis of the environmental crisis caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, considered as a turning point in the contemporary debate on ecological risk, environmental perception and social resilience. Through case studies focusing on specific animal species and their relationship with human groups-such as mountain hunters, fishing communities, and farmers-forms of multispecies interaction in contexts based on small-scale economies will be explored.Such examples will provide insight into how relationships between humans and other life forms are embedded in local value systems, cosmologies, and everyday practices. Finally, the course will introduce the tools of ecocriticism to analyze representations of nature, the environment and the ecological crisis in contemporary Japanese culture by bringing ethnographic sources, audiovisual materials and cultural texts into dialogue.

Santos Alexandre, R. (2019). Being and Landscape: An Ontological Inquiry into a Japanese Rural Community. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 20(3), 232–246.

Yoshihara, Hideki, and Noriko Inoue. (2018). “The Sacred Landscape of Ainu Culture and Its Cultural Landscapes: Case Study on the Conservation Strategy in Biratori City, Hokkaido”. Almatourism - Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development 9 (8):107-28.

Love, B. (2013), Treasure Hunts in Rural Japan: Place Making at the Limits of Sustainability. American Anthropologist, 115: 112-124.

Hansen, P. (2022). Rural emplacements: linking heterotopia, one health and ikigai in central Hokkaido. Asian Anthropology, 21(1), 66–79.

Laurent, E. L., & Ono, K. (1999). The Firefly and the Trout: Recent Shifts Regarding the Relationship Between People and other Animals in Japanese Culture. Anthrozoös, 12(3), 149–156.

Bulian, G. (2015). Invisible landscapes. Winds, experience and memory in Japanese coastal fishery. Japan Forum, 27(3), 380–404.

Schnell, S. (2007), Are mountain gods vindictive? Competing images of the Japanese alpine landscape. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 13: 863-880.

Lim, C. P., Matsuda, Y., & Shigemi, Y. (1995). Co‐management in marine fisheries: The Japanese experience. Coastal Management, 23(3), 195–221.

Knight, C. (2010). The Discourse of “Encultured Nature”in Japan: The Concept of Satoyama and its Role in 21st-Century Nature Conservation. Asian Studies Review, 34(4), 421–441.

Ricardo Santos Alexandre. (2025) On the nature of tradition: The Japanese notion of furusato and a historical quest for place. History and Anthropology 36:2, pages 239-259.

Aike P. Rots. (2021) Trees of tension: re-making nature in post-disaster Tohoku. Japan Forum 33:1, pages 1-24.

Paper (80% of the final grade)
Students are required to write a research paper of approximately 4,000 words on a topic of their choice, to be agreed upon in advance with the instructor and related to the course content. The paper should demonstrate the ability to explore a specific subject in depth, using critical analysis and well-structured synthesis. The final version must be submitted in .doc format via the Moodle platform at least two weeks before the exam date. Timely submission and the overall quality of the work will be key factors in the assessment.

Oral Discussion (20% of the final grade)
After submitting the paper, students will take part in an oral discussion of their work. This will assess their ability to clearly present, summarize, and defend their arguments. The discussion is also an opportunity to further explore and clarify the issues addressed in the written paper, allowing the instructor to evaluate the student’s overall understanding of the topic and capacity for critical thinking.

written

Evaluation grid for the written and oral test

17 INSUFFICIENT

18-20 SUFFICIENT

Limited understanding of content, limited expository and reflective skills, lack of critical ability.

21-23 DISCRETE

Sufficient understanding of content but uncertainty in exposition and reflection, fair ability to revise but with difficulty in synthesis and critical commentary.

24-26 GOOD

Good understanding of content though exposed with uncertainty, of reworking and synthesis. Limited ability to synthesize.

27-28 DISTINCT

Thorough understanding of content that is clearly and articulately expounded; remarkable ability to synthesize and critically reflect.

29-30 EXCELLENT

Broad and thorough understanding of content that is expounded in an articulate and sophisticated manner. Excellent ability in exposition, synthesis and critical reflection.

30 CUM LAUDE EXCELLENT

Broad and thorough understanding of content that demonstrates knowledge of broader disciplinary and interdisciplinary debates, command of language, and original critical thinking skills.

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Lectures and seminar type teaching.

It will only be possible to take the exam with the syllabus taught in this course (a.y. 2023-24) for the first four appeals after the course is held.
Once these four appeals have passed, students will have to take the exam with the syllabus of the new academic year.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development