著者

山中 速人 藤井 桂子

出版者

関西学院大学

雑誌

総合政策研究 (ISSN:1341996X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, pp.67-90, 2003-01-20

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Since 1999, a research team consisted of Japanese university students and their instructors has visited Waimea District on Kauai Island of Hawaii every summer in order to record the life history of nikhei niseis (second generation of Japanese-Americans). This life history project was started in order to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Waimea Higashi Hongwanji Temple. Many nikkei niseis including the temple members were interviewed. The childhood days in the camp of the interviewees, their school life, parents, the war days, work, marriage, birth of their children, and retirement life were all recorded orally. Up to the, present more than fifty nikkei niseis have been interviewed and their oral histories were recorded. Through the research project, the three significant points necessary to discuss could be clarified in terms of the life history interview. The three points are caused by the three factors as follows: 1) characteristics of the social stratum of the local community, 2) language used for the interviews (Japanese students interviewed with Japanese), and 3) sublimation of the oral histories by the interviewees. This paper argues these factors through introducing the operating process of the research project.