International Christian University Repository / 国際基督教大学リポジトリ
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“I Feel the Constant Low-Hum of Anxiety”:(1) Peacebuilders’ Lived Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThis research provides a timely examination of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected peacebuilders, discussing implications for post-pandemic peacebuilding. In the study, 27 peacebuilders worldwide from 13 nationalities reflected on their lived experience of the pandemic. Through an online survey of 20 questions and a text-based interview of 16 questions, they shared insights into how the pandemic affected them and their work in the peace sector. The study was unique because it drew on the expertise of Rotary Peace Fellows and applied pervasive ambiguity as the theoretical foundation (Ball-Rokeach, 1973). Ball-Rokeach (1973) defined pervasive ambiguity as “when individuals or collectives are unable to define a social situation” (p.378). There was no research on the pandemic utilising pervasive ambiguity that placed the lived experiences of Rotary Peace Fellows and those identifying as peacebuilders as the central focus. Rotary Peace Fment professionals or practitioners” engaged in “acaellows are “peace and developdemic training, practice, and global networking opportunities” provided by The Rotary Foundation to become “effective catalysts for peace” (Rotary International, n.d, para.1). Rotary Peace Fellows undertake “fellowships for master’s degrees or certificate studies at premier universities” worldwide (Rotary International, n.d, para.4). In 2021, there were over 1,400 Rotary Peace Fellows globally. The results reveal eight themes relating to the research question “What challenges and opportunities have peacebuilders experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic?” The pandemic decreased peacebuilders’ mental health 28 due to increasing ambiguity and anxiety. The causes of this anxiety included financial concerns and the inability to conduct preplanned peacebuilding projects. In their work, peacebuilders experienced changes in relationships with colleagues and stakeholders because of interpersonal barriers due to physical distancing measures. More broadly, peacebuilders reflected on the extent of social inequality exacerbated by the pandemic. One elaborated that they were “deeply questioning the ethical implications of the systems we are creating and engaging in”. This paper also reveals fears about the future of post-pandemic peacebuilding. If talented peacebuilders continue to have their salaries reduced and experience declining mental health, they may leave the humanitarian and aid sector. However, the data also reveals that while 93 percent of participants experienced threats in their peacebuilding work, 74 percent also experienced opportunities. Benefits included remote working enabling peacebuilders to develop their network of colleagues worldwide. Overall, this research helps humanitarian and aid organisations consider what support and training peacebuilders need to be mentally healthy and continue their essential work. These organisations can address the issues identified in this paper and help protect the future of peacebuilding.departmental bulletin pape
Refocusing the Shôshika Phenomenon: A Literature Review on the Low Birth Rate in Japan
Get PDFLow fertility rates affect many developed countries, which struggle to find appropriate measures to counter this phenomenon. Japan has particularly drawn a lot of attention to this issue as one of the countries with the lowest fertility rates globally. Since the “1.57 shock” in 1990, during which the public opinion started noticing the demographic problem, various scholars have discussed the reasons for the “shôshika” (low birth rate) phenomenon in Japan, leading to a vast literature on the subject. While some people identified the “work-life balance” difficulties as the leading cause for the low birthrate, others have seen the economy’s deterioration as an important issue. However, those assessments only refer to problems related to married couples, which the author of this paper proposes to call the “post-marriage theory.” Even though one should not ignore the struggles for married couples to have children, they may not be the main aspects that explain the shôshika phenomenon. This paper is an attempt to refocus the shôshika issue on the pre-marital difficulties of building a family. Based on a review of the academic literature since the 1990s, this paper argues that the leading causes of the Japanese demographic crisis are the difficulties single people face to meet a marriage partner. Although whether the coronavirus pandemic will worsen a situation that is already critical for Japan is yet to be seen, it is crucial to understand the causes of low fertility in the archipelago.departmental bulletin pape
“U.S. Policy Toward Japan” in the Framework of the Korean War, American National Security Strategy, and the Japanese Economic Miracle
Get PDFFollowing the lost decade after the war, the Japanese economy entered its so-called high-growth period. With real economic growth setting a miraculous record, averaging 9.4% annually from the 1950s to the 1970s, Japan repeatedly experienced periods of economic expansion: from the Jinmu Boom to the Iwato Boom, and then during the Izanagi Boom. Breaking all previous records, Japan became one of the top economic powers in the world. Naturally, lots of attention was paid to this “economic miracle” aspect. More precisely, it had been a major concern for economists and policymakers to find out why only Japan could achieve such rapid growth while other developing countries remained under economic stagnation. Although some conventional Japanese researches have analyzed this question in relation to the Korean War, most of it has been investigated from the political science or international relations perspectives. Even studies on the Japanese economy have mostly been detailing the effects that the “Korean special procurements” had on Japan at that time. The reason we cannot find enough literature discussing the influence the Korean War itself had on Japan’s rapid growth might be because there is a tendency to try to discount such a distinctive factor when considering Japan’s economic development 240 model case. Furthermore, two aspects question the conventional research methodology that focuses on the Japanese government's role. First, even though the promotion of specific industries usually takes the form of introducing foreign capital and technology or importing machinery from abroad, these are strongly influenced by the “supplier side.” Second, although Japan at that time had already been released from the U.S’s occupation, the form and implementation of economic policies were still not carried out solely by the Japanese government; instead, the U.S. government strongly promoted Japan’s “export-oriented machinery industrialization” as a means of enhancing national security. The achievement of Japan’s rapid economic growth and its “exportoriented machinery industrialization” would have required various inputs and appropriate demand absorbers. The United States was involved in Japan’s “export-oriented machinery industrialization” in many ways, but it can be categorized mainly into three types. The first was to introduce a planned mass production system coupled with innovative technology, which had been developed in the U.S. The second was to utilize American-style scientific and rational business management methods. The third was to promote new industries while simultaneously developing new products in Japan in order to accelerate its access to the mass-consuming American market. It is important to note that only these three factors combined could realize Japan’s “exportoriented machinery industrialization.” The U.S’s role in Japan’s “export-oriented machinery industrialization” was particularly significant both temporally and functionally. First, the U.S. granted multi-faceted support in building up an American-style massproduction system in Japan. Second, the U.S. provided Japan with appropriate backup, both in terms of quantity and quality, in order to introduce an American-style business management system. Third, the U.S. played a huge role as a demand absorber for Japanese products – even though Japan’s exports to the U.S. were widely referred to as “downpour exports.”departmental bulletin pape
Maximizing Lexical Contrast in Burmese Tone: Evidence from F0 and Oq
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Beyond the Dichotomy of Standard vs. Non-standard: A Sociolinguistic Study on the Features of Standard Language Formation in Malayalam
Get PDFStandard language is a codified form of language that is accepted by a larger speech community which also serves as a model (Garvin 1959). The various criteria which are significant in the standardization of any language include the intrinsic properties of that language, the functions of that language within the culture of a speech community, and the attitude of the speech community towards the standard language. Therefore, as properties of language unification, social status and prestige are considered symbolic to the process of standardization. While a set of parameters have been proposed to identify one variety of any spoken language as “standard” and others as “non-standard”, most of the arguments boil down to the question of power held by the speakers of a particular variety in terms of cultural, financial, and political capitals (Trudgill 2000; Kachru 1976 & 1996). General observations within the discipline point to the fact that it is based on this high status that certain varieties of any spoken language is recognized as standard, and all public discourses, spoken and written, are carried out in that particular variety. The case of English, being a global language and the most widely used lingua franca of the world, is not unique in this regard. Despite many varieties of the language being used across the world and some of them even being used as the first language of larger populations, a strong tendency to standardise the language on the basis of how the language is used in the inner circle, is prevalent. Although this has been the case with most of the languages, a few deviants are found to be in existence against this observation in a language like Malayalam. Among the 13 identified varieties of the language, the standard variety, i.e, the variety used for administrative and official purposes, is not observed to have been used by the speakers of a particular geographic locality or a community as a spoken language. Therefore, through this research, by looking into the process of the formation of standard language in Malayalam which is the central point of study, we claim that the English type standard vs. non-standard dichotomy does not fit well in the spoken discourse of varieties of Malayalam.departmental bulletin pape