Cultural Ecology and Conservation
Faculty
Prof.
Hiroki Takakura
Assoc. Prof.
Takahiro Tomita
Research Themes
- Environmental anthropology, Disaster anthropology, Visual anthropology
- Arctic studies, Siberian studies, Mongolian studies, Japanese studies, Ainu studies
Research contents
Our research and teaching are grounded in cultural anthropology and examine the sociocultural dynamics of human–environment relations that have developed historically across different regions of the world. We also engage in applied practices aimed at sustaining and developing these relationships. As humans spread across the globe, they developed regionally and culturally distinctive ways of incorporating nature into culture. This has been a dynamic process, responsive to changes in both society and the natural environment. We seek to understand the possibilities this diversity offers for the future and explore sustainable practices.
Our research addresses global warming and community resilience; changes in livelihood cultures and environmental ethics and thought under globalization; the restructuring of livelihoods associated with urbanization and industrialization; interactions between cultural diversity and biodiversity; and the relationship between disasters and culture. We investigate these issues through fieldwork, including visual research, and the analysis of historical sources. We also engage in practical support activities drawing on theories of regional and cultural development.
Keywords
Climate change, Resource management, Food systems, Adaptation and resilience, Cultural heritage, Indigenous peoples, Ethnicity, Ethnohistory
Web
http://www.cneas.tohoku.ac.jp/labs/anthro2/
Hiroki Takakura https://researchmap.jp/000410?lang=en
Takahiro Tomita https://researchmap.jp/tomitaka?lang=en
Contact
hiroki.takakura.a8tohoku.ac.jp
