English
Welcome to Taichi Uchio’s Home Page!
Taichi Uchio is an associate professor at the Faculty of Global Studies at Reitaku University in Chiba, Japan. He specializes in cultural anthropology and human security studies. His main area of research interest is dignity: What does it mean? When does it appear? And whose dignity should be recognized and respected by whom? He approaches these questions using such qualitative methods as fieldwork and ethnography.
He has conducted fieldwork in several disaster-hit areas from Japan’s 2011 catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. His doctoral dissertation from the University of Tokyo is an ethnography aimed to explore the dignity of disaster-hit people through the recovery process of Minami Sanriku Town, Miyagi, Japan, from 2011 to 2016. The dissertation was published in 2018 as a single-authored book『復興と尊厳：震災後を生きる南三陸町の軌跡』(Dignity after 3.11: An Ethnography of Post-Tsunami Reconstruction in Japan.), which is only available in Japanese.
Nowadays, he has broadened his fieldwork experience, focusing on the transnational aspect of a natural disaster. For example, he has visited the areas affected by the teletsunami that surged from Japan to Chile in 2011 several times and conducted interview research with the local people. This multi-sited ethnographic approach unveils that “3.11” is not a disaster that affected more than just the Japanese.
His recent publication is “A Comparative Study of Moai Tourism between Minami Sanriku Town and Easter Island” (2019), which is based on the fact that the Chilean government gifted a newly carved moai to Minami Sanriku Town as a symbol of its recovery.
Education
- Ph.D. in Human Security Studies, Human Security Program and Department of Cultural Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. July 2017.
- M.A. in Human Security Studies, Human Security Program and Department of Cultural Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. March 2010.
- B.A. in Intercultural Studies, Intercultural Studies Course, Fukuoka University of Education, Japan. March 2008.
Work Experience:
- Associate Professor, Faculty of Global Studies, Reitaku University, Japan. April 2020 –
- Assistant Professor, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Reitaku University, Japan. April 2018 – March 2020.
- Lecturer, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Reitaku University, Japan. April 2015 – March 2018.
- Visiting Collaborative Researcher, Research Center for Pan-Pacific Civilizations, Ritsumeikan University, Japan. October 2020 –
- Part-time Lecturer, Graduate School of Arts and Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. April 2018 –
- Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Life Network Science, Seisa University, Japan. April 2018 –
- Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University, Japan. April 2018 –
- Part-time Lecturer, Musashino BASIS, Musashino University, Japan. April 2018 –
- Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Business Administration, Bunkyo University, Japan. April 2014 – March 2018.
- Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of International Studies, Bunkyo University, Japan. April 2014 – March 2015.
Publications in English
- Uchio, Taichi (2019) “A Comparative Study of Moai Tourism between Minami Sanriku Town and Easter Island,” Reitaku University Journal 102, 54-61.
- Uchio, Taichi (2016) “NGO Activity as a Method for Public Anthropology: From a Case Study of Disaster-relief Activities in Miyagi Prefecture,” Reitaku University Journal, 99,1-9。
- Uchio, Taichi (2015) “Micro-politics of Identity in a Multicultural Japan: The Use of Western Colonial Heritages among Japanese Filipino Children (JFC),” Bulletin of the National Museum of Ethnology in Japan, 40(1),85-100.
- Uchio, Taichi (2015) “Japanese Filipino Children Between the Dichotomy of “Japanese” and “Non-Japanese”: Challenging a Policy Distortion in Tabunka Kyosei,” Reframing Diversity in the Anthropology of Japan, John Ertl, John Mock, et al. (eds.), 147-165, Kanazawa University Center for Cultural Resource Studies.
Presentations in English
- Uchio, Taichi (2014, 5) “A Methodological Consideration for Practicing Public Anthropology: From a Case of Crossover between Academic Research and Disaster Relief Activity in Miyagi Prefecture.” JASCA (Japan Society of Cultural Anthropology) 50th Anniversary Conference and IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Studies) Inter-Congress 2014 Joint Convention, Chiba Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2014, 2) “In a Quest for Dignity: the Experience of Some Japanese Filipino Children in Japanese Society.” PSCJ (Philippine Studies Conference in Japan) 2014, Kyoto, Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2013, 9) “Freedom to Live in Dignity: Lessons from Activities of an University-based NPO in Tohoku.” The 3rd Annual Conference of JAHSS (Japan Association for Human Security Studies), Kanagawa, Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2012, 11) “Children as a Key for Rebuilding Communities in the Aftermath of 3.11: A Practical Case of Temporary Housings in Miyagi Prefecture.” AAA (American Anthropological Association), 2012 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA.
- Uchio, Taichi (2012, 9) “Debt of Compassion and Dignitary Harm: A Report from the Cutting Edge of Disaster-Relief Activities for 3.11 Earthquake and Tsunami.” The 2nd Annual Conference of JAHSS, Aichi, Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2012, 2) “Human Dignity at Street Corners: The Case of Japanese Filipino Children.” The 3rd JSA-ASEAN (Japan Studies Association in Southeast Asia) International Conference Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Uchio, Taichi (2011, 9) “Group’s Vulnerability and Individual Dignity: The Case of Japanese Filipino Children.” The Inaugural Conference of JAHSS, Kyoto, Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2011, 8) “Disaster and Human Security: The East Japan Earthquake and Post-3.11 Multicultural Society.” A Joint Conference of SEAA (The Society for East Asian Anthropology) /AAA and the Korean Society for Cultural Anthropology, Jeonju, Korea.
- Uchio, Taichi (2011, 8) “Online Imagined Communities of Japanese Filipino Children (JFC): The Use of Telecommunication Devices and Networks.” A Joint Conference of SEAA /AAA and the Korean Society for Cultural Anthropology, Jeonju, Korea.
- Uchio, Taichi (2010, 11) “Micro-politics of Japanese Filipino Children (JFC): The Use of Western Colonial Heritage in Japanese Society.” AAA, 2010 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA.
- Uchio, Taichi (2010, 9) “Aging Japanese Society and Migration Business: The Case of Filipino Care Workers.” Japan Consortium for Human Security Education and Research Annual Meeting 2010, Tokyo, Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2009, 11) “Analysis of Hybrid Component in Multiculturalism in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Japanese Filipino Children.” AJJ (Anthropology of Japan in Japan) Annual Conference 2009, Tokyo, Japan.
- Uchio, Taichi (2009, 7) “An Ethnographic Studies of Multiculturalism in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Japanese Filipino Children.” The 16th World Congress of IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Studies), Kunming, China.
