Paper short abstract:

What effects do anthropological disaster projects have on affected communities? This paper addresses this question by focusing on my personal experience with the March 11th Japan Earthquake. In describing my three projects, I evaluate them in terms of methodology and consider the responsibility.

Paper long abstract:

The effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) are still being felt, not only in Japan but around the world. The author is an anthropologist and a GEJET survivor who lives and works in Miyagi, a region close to the epicenter of the GEJET. Many scientific projects and social programs have been implemented after the disaster. The responses of anthropologists reflect their own form of activism. What effects have anthropological disaster projects had on the affected region and its communities? This examination has now become a critical task. This paper addresses this question from the perspective of my personal experience. First I outline tendencies and features of anthropological projects and programs, in comparison to those of other scientific disciplines. Then I describe my own three projects related to GEJET: the organization of a social meeting for local anthropologists (15 05 2011), the recording of personal experiences of people who studied or worked at, or accidentally visited, Tohoku University in Miyagi (08 05 2011 - 11 03 2012), and the documentation of the damage to folk cultural assets in the Miyagi coastal area (01 11 2011 - present). Reviewing these projects from afar in terms of otherness, I evaluate them with some reflection and present new findings on anthropological methodology. Finally I offer thoughts on the social responsibility and appropriate role of anthropologists in both stricken and unaffected areas.