Paper short abstract:

This paper examined changes in the daily lives and social relationships of women living in Wadi Fatima, Saudi Arabia, by identifying the women in pictures taken half a century ago by the late Japanese anthropologist, Motoko Katakura.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines how to identify the names and relatives of the women in pictures taken half a century ago by the late anthropologist Motoko Katakura, who conducted continuous field work in Wadi Fatima, an oasis in Saudi Arabia, from 1968 through follow-up research of her field work.

The value of old photographs as research material is increasing. While methods of identifying the subjects of old photographs have advanced using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, no major progress has been made in comparing and examining the photographic materials in cooperation with the subjects themselves and their families, relatives, and communities.

The dissertations and literary materials left by Motoko Katakura included many personal episodes that used the subjects' names and photo captions in context. Since many scenes in her pictures included other people who happened to be beside the subject person, it is still possible to extract information on the relationships among individuals. After identifying the subjects in a field survey during 2018-2019, I obtained information on names, family relationships, and social relationships of the women who were the main subjects as well as others who happened to be with them, even those of subjects who were not in the pictures.

This work involves the possibility of extending the identification of individuals to construct life histories of families and relatives. This process shows an alternative perspective leading to a new methodology as part of field science conducted through on-site surveys.