Review of Rural Sociology in Okinawa:

Formation and Reconsideration of the Community's Image

Abstract

For sociologists, Okinawan research began between 1971 and 1973 with the investigations of the sociology group of the Association of the Nine Learned Societies of Humanities and Social Sciences, shortly after Okinawa had been returned to Japan. That research had the goal of comprehending the characteristics of Okinawan village societies while exploring how Okinawan villages fit within the larger context of Japan. At the time, that was the predominant unit used by agricultural sociologists for researching and theorizing villages' social structures. However, this concept could not be applied to Okinawan villages, and the study of monchū left many subjects to be explored. From the Meiji era onward, unlike on mainland Japan, a system of parasitical landowners did not develop on Okinawa; and Okinawan villages were founded on a relatively high level of equality, mutual aid, and autonomy.

Subsequently, while research on monchū by Kitahara and others advanced remarkably, the interest of sociologists shifted to the subjects of land and economic self-reliance. Meanwhile, sociologists residing in Okinawa conducted research on the relationship between wēki and shikama, cooperatives, and the stagnation of Okinawan villages.

Since 2000, comparisons between Japan and the rest of Asia have revealed the characteristics of Okinawan village societies. In turn, this has led to Okinawan villages being used many times in research on subjects like the environment and local autonomy. On the other hand, research has been conducted on related fields, such as history and economics, and this research has fundamentally re-examined Okinawan village society. Sociologists must incorporate such findings in order to reexamine their images of Okinawan village society, on which they have based the motivation for so much of their research.