2015 Volume 25 Issue 2 Pages 2_3-15
This study examines issues of residents’ participation in disaster recovery in the tsunami disaster area caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and this case study of locals’ confrontation with the issue of tide embankment, which is a social problem, poses the challenge of education for sustainable development (ESD). The study first explains how residents participate in community development by using the results of quantitative data collected and analyzed. Then, based on an analysis of qualitative data, it elucidates the process of residents’ participation by showing how relationships within the local community affected community decision-making and how the awareness of people who had recognized social contradictions transformed in the process of learning. The local practices used to confront the issue of tide embankment are the process of empowerment for political actors, and they illustrate the residents’ active participation in community development based on learning. However, ESD faces the challenge of how to encourage the involvement of people in society who do not clearly express their opinions in line with status quo power relationships and social norms. The key to solving this problem lies in creating local disaster prevention plans that involve residents. This could be an opportunity for local community revitalization and a driving force for establishing sustainable communities.
