Journal of Group Dynamics
Online ISSN : 2187-2872
ISSN-L : 2187-2872
Volume 31
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
Editorial board and editorial policy
English papers
  • An Attempt of Engaged Ethnography
    Cahya Widiyanto
    2014Volume 31 Pages 125-174
    Published: December 28, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: March 01, 2014
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This paper is the next sequence of ethnography of a movement of the farmer community in Daleman, Java, Indonesia (Cahya, 2011). It specifically described the process of the ethnographic reflective dialog conducted in Daleman community while the revitalization movement was in progress. Although the reflective dialog resulted in some tensions amongst the participants, it succeeded in rebuilding the awareness and the spirit of togetherness of the community. The long and complicated process of reflective dialog enabled the members of Daleman community to develop their awareness to learn from the events they had experienced. This kind of dialog also inspired them to generate and continue the movement they had made. The story in this ethnography gives an important lesson that a reflective dialog plays very important roles in preserving the continuation of the movement of the community revitalization.
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Japanese papers with English abstract
  • Tatsushi Masuda
    2014Volume 31 Pages 3-71
    Published: December 28, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: January 24, 2014
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       Our research group was involved in the prevention of desertification in the Inner-Mongolian autonomous district of China. We analyzed and discussed, from the perspective of group dynamics, how the contents, possibilities and directions of activity and the network of participants changed during a twenty year period (1994- 2013). Moreover, we argued, from general viewpoints, how we can develop an interlocal network among interested parties, organizations that promote environmental conservation or regional revitalization; communities where these movements are carried out with outsiders who participate in these movements.
       The activity in the Inner-Mongolia area has changed over the past twenty years. In the initial stage (1995-1999), we attempted to combat desertification with agricultural development or agricultural business but this was not successful. We changed the focus of our policy and started community revitalization activities in which unstable sand dunes are greened and a circulation-type community management is developed (2000- ). In parallel, participants in the activity expanded beyond the organization that initiated the activity and came to include a human network of many people who interacted with each other. Those changes were attained step by step as the indigenous people accumulated new experiences during a twenty-year period.
       Currently, the activity is in a stagnant condition (2008- ). The direct cause is because of a shortage of financial resources for the activity and an unfortunate social/economic condition of the community. But, more importantly, an underlying problem is that the residents lack an active attitude. A partnership with the residents, based on their intrinsic and active attitude to the activity, is required to move out of stagnancy. In addition, an inter-local partnership with residents in cities in China and people in Japan should be constructed so that they can contribute to the activity from diverse standpoints.
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  • Fieldwork on Organization and Technology
    Ichiro Yatsuzuka
    2014Volume 31 Pages 73-96
    Published: December 28, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: January 24, 2014
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The core-task analysis, proposed by Leena Norros (2004), was introduced along with its academic background, major concepts and theoretical framework, and examples of specific case studies. First of all, traditional psychological models are not adequate to analyze recent organizations and workplaces that are characterized by possibilities of huge risk and complication of technology. Instead, it is required to illuminate core-task, i.e. integral tasks to secure process control, by observing the entire picture of complicated processes and to clarify appropriate actions that should be taken by organizational members. For this purpose, structural background that determines member's action and produces possible risks is focused on by depending on the activity theory proposed by Y. Engeström. At the same time, the semiotics is harnessed to analyze ‘habits' of individuals that determine what specific action is chosen. Case studies on the training of anesthetist and the operating process of large vessels are described to show possibilities of the core-task analysis for both practice and research.
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  • Analyzing the Narratives of Family Caregivers and Supporters
    Terumi Sameshima, Michiru Takeuchi
    2014Volume 31 Pages 98-123
    Published: December 28, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: February 07, 2014
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       This research addresses the problem of considering care as a burden and presents a new image of care centering on “co-education” among the person requiring care, the family caregiver and the supporters considering the practice example of the dementia care that conquers the problems. On the conventional dementia care, the person requiring care is regarded as the one whose cognitive function is missing and whose social/occupational functional level are remarkably degraded. And care at home is based on the assumption of "care power" that makes up for the degraded functions. This feature is quite similar to one of modern medicine.
       Researchers discovered a new type of dementia care in Mr. T's approach as he has cared for his wife, Mrs. T at home for 24 years. Mr. T did not see her disease as problems but ) determined the direction of support that care must make her pleasant, and he asked home care workers for support. Supporters of Mr. T did not see the lack of family care power as problems but ) they thought that necessary care was the challenge and tried to resolve it. Before the dementia care at home became common in Japan, ) supporters faced the challenges in daily life together with Mr. and Mrs. T. They kept supporting each other for a long time with their relationship through “interchanging bodies”.
       We try to explain the concrete practice above using the postmodern theory of Osawa. We argue 4 points in this article. First is that their support through interchanging bodies breaks the equation, "care = burden" and generates the new relationships, "the person who lives with dementia and can carry out action if some support is offered" and "the person who supports him/her". Second is that the person who lives with dementia is in the new way no one has experienced. So the field of home care becomes the place of making primitive norm. They develop the “co-educational” relationship that makes them grow into each other. Third is that the person who lives with dementia is <living as the body of the proletariat> and his/her wish is "living well." therefore, we show that the starting point of support is always on the side of the person requiring care and it is necessary for supporters to realize that. The fourth and final point is that, “professions” which caregivers are requested to have is an attitude that they come out of their own world, dive into the life world of others and they try to think support and care there. We conclude that supporter's attitude to get out the professional viewpoint and to enjoy the relationship of interchanging bodies with person requiring care will have the potential for changing the relationship among supporter, the person requiring care, and family caregiver, and then producing a new style of support.
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  • An Attempt of the ‘Shopping Street School' in Itami city, Hyogo, Japan
    Katsuhiko Hatai
    Article type: research article
    2014Volume 31 Pages 176-194
    Published: December 28, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: March 10, 2014
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       The author of this paper has carried out an attempt to educate high-school students by cooperation with community residents in Itami city, Hyogo, Japan for about ten years since 2003. Specifically, students are given an opportunity to work in a shopping street run by community residents as a full-fledged member of society, which is called the ‘Shopping Street School.' It is expected to develop bonds of people in a community in the attempt. The process of realizing the School was described in the first half of this paper.
       The School is totally different from ordinary school education in which a teacher follows what is determined in a formal textbook. The School never follows a predetermined scenario. It is expected for students to enjoy writing a scenario by themselves and playing it with pleasure and troubles and grow as a human. However, it is an enormous challenge for a teacher to play an undetermined scenario with students as far as the School is a part of formal educational activities of high school. In the second half of this paper, we focused on the Halloween Party that was one of the most important events in the School and analyzed how students worked for the event and how teachers responded to it after wavering in their determination.
       Just a few case studies on an attempt of community residents to grow children were reported so far although the importance of such an attempt had been emphasized. The author wants to send this paper as a precious message that includes a series of troubles that he actually experienced.
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  • An attempt initiated by a Buddhist Temple Master in a Small Fishing Area, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
    Noriko Kondo
    Article type: research article
    2014Volume 31 Pages 196-
    Published: December 28, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: March 10, 2014
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       This paper reports how community revitalization movement in a small depopulated fishing area has proceeded in 2010-13 since its initiation. The area is located in the Mukatsuku peninsula, Yuya, Nagato city, Ymaguchi prefecture, Japan. Depopulation and aging have been so serious that more than half of residents are aged 65 or more in many villages in the area.
       A young person named Mr. Tadate, who returned to his home village to succeed a Buddhist temple master in 2007, played a central role to start the ‘Festival of Fire' in 2011 in which he highlighted a legend that Yang-kuei-fei, who was famous as one of the four most beautiful women in ancient China, arrived at the peninsula after her husband, Emperor Xuan-zong, was defeated by his enemy in the eighth century. He was convinced that the area should decline if he did not do anything, but it was not easy to develop collaboration by his longtime friends. This paper traced the development of collaborative network from the early stage to the present through which the author worked closely with him as his wife. Especially, an impact of a young person who joined the movement as a volunteer from the outside was focused on as changing Mr. Tadate's friends in the way that they should be committed to the movement more actively beyond just following and helping him.
       This paper described several difficulties that should be overcome to start and continue the festival in next year. For example, Mr. Tadate's status as a temple master made local government and possible financial supporters hesitate supporting his group because they were afraid that they might have benefit his temple alone or particular religious activities. Moreover, Chinese foreign college students were invited to participate in the festival, but excessive police precautions were arranged due to aggravated relation between Japan and China. The author discusses how these difficulties have been dealt with while she herself has been struggling with them.
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