Social Anthropological Study on the Reconstitution and Maintenance of Depopulated Communities with Special Reference to Aged People

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I.Objectives : Our research is intended to elucidate some structural problems in depopulated local communities from the social anthropological perspective focusing on the study of the aged people. For that purpose, each member of out research group had concluded a fieldwork to collect data mainly in the so-called rojin kurabu(an old people's club) in each selected area. These areas are chosen for their geographical and social isolatedness : Chichi-jima and Haha-jima(Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo), Goto Islands (Nagasaki Pref.), Shimokita(Aomori Pref.), Joetsu(Niigata Pref.) and Azumi(Nagano Pref.).II.Methodology : In our fieldwork for the first year (1991), we gathered the basic data of rojin kurabu by interviewing the members of the club concerned. In out interview, such topics are included : when and how the club was founded, its present activities and management, regulation of the club, the eligibility of the membership, etc. For the second year(1991), we held a meeting and discussed ove … More r the data collected from each area. Aupplementary fieldwork was also done based on out discussion.III.Results : According to our second discussion(February, 1993), we could point out such temporary conclusions :(1) In every remoted area there exists the organization of old people's club.(2) If the percentage of the aged is relatively high in the total local population, the recruitment of members also indicates a high rate. But this fact does not automatically mean that the majority of the members are active in the club's activities. This is true especially for those elderly people who still have their own job.(3) Social welfare for the aged is generally well developed in those areas where the percentage of the aged is relatively high, for the elderly people have voice in the local politics. Accordingly, the activities of the old people's club are overtly pronounced, but they are of ten dependent on an administrative guidance.(4) There are not a few elderly people who do not join the club or its activity for the reasons of their jobs or their phisical conditions. Generally, more aged men have the tendency to do so. this fact reflects the local definition of gender difference. "Maleness" and "job" are often equated and "oldness" is an opposite category. To improve these situations, it is better to give a socially important role to the old people's club, for example, to give not a charity work but more productive and remunerative work. Less