Ataya: The HUMA Interdisciplinary Seminar Series
13:00-14:00 SAST 

Speaker: 
Shogo Kudo (Akita International University, Japan)

➤ Project/Paper: TBD 

Topic: Japan is facing a long-term trend of aging and depopulation. Since 2010, I have been conducting field research on the impacts of aging and depopulation in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Rural towns in Akita are becoming peripheralized, and some of the observed problems are the abandonment of farmland, the closure of schools, and the gradual fading of traditional culture. In the process of such functional decline, what are the conditions that must be retained in order for a rural town to be sustained? This is the central question that this study seeks to answer. The concept of fudo (風土), coined by Tetsuro Watuji in 1935, is adopted as the analytical lens in this study. Fudo describes the mutually-defining relationships between humans and nature. The findings suggest that residents of a peripheralized rural town feel their presence as a community in attachment to the local landscape, daily communication with neighbors, and a sense of care in intergenerational relationships. At present, the central government promotes urban-rural migration and special economic zones to revitalize regional economies, but these approaches are not reflecting the conditions residents feel critical for their towns. Fudo perspective could be valuable in discussing key conditions for rural sustainability.

About the speaker: 
Shogo Kudo is Associate Professor at the Global Studies Program, Faculty of International
Liberal Arts, Akita International University. He holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability Science from
The University of Tokyo. His primary research focus is the economic, environmental, and social impacts of aging and depopulation in rural communities. He has been conducting a long-term fieldwork in Akita, Japan, and in QwaQwa, South Africa, on the theme of rural
entrepreneurship since 2010 and 2017 respectively. By linking these two rural areas, his recent publications propose translocal learning approach for sustainability. He is also active in promoting Sustainability Science in higher education.

How Ataya works: One presenter and their work – in exchange with the audience. Each Ataya session engages with selected work by the presenter (a text, artwork, performance, even food). The presenter introduces their work and grounds the subsequent discussion with the participants. For best engagement, we recommend participants to view the work (made available in advance on our website) before the session. More on the Ataya Series


For any questions: huma@uct.ac.za