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

目的：我们的研究旨在从社会人类学的角度来阐明人口减少的地方社区中的一些结构性问题，重点是对老年人的研究。为此，研究小组的每个成员都完成了一项实地工作，主要是在每个选定地区的所谓的罗津库拉布(一个老年人俱乐部)收集数据。这些地区被选为地理和社会孤立的地区：集市和哈哈岛(小川群岛，东京)，后藤岛(长崎县)，岛下县(青森县)，珠江县(新泻县)。方法：在第一年(1991年)的田野工作中，我们通过采访有关俱乐部的成员收集了罗津葛拉布的基本数据。在我们的采访中，我们讨论了俱乐部成立的时间和方式，俱乐部目前的活动和管理，俱乐部的管理，会员资格等。第二年(1991年)，我们召开了一次会议，讨论了Ove…。更多的是从每个地区收集的数据。结果：根据我们的第二次讨论(1993年2月)，我们可以指出这样的暂时性结论：(1)每个偏远地区都有老年人俱乐部的组织。(2)如果老年人在当地总人口中所占的比例较高，则会员的招募率也很高。但这一事实并不自动意味着大多数成员都活跃在俱乐部的活动中。(3)在老年人比例较高的地区，老年人的社会福利普遍发展良好，因为老年人在当地的政治中有发言权。因此，老年人俱乐部的活动是公开的，但往往依赖于行政指导。(4)由于工作或身体条件的原因，不参加俱乐部或其活动的老年人不在少数。一般来说，更多的老年男性有这样做的倾向。这一事实反映了当地对性别差异的定义。“男性”和“工作”经常被等同起来，而“老年”则是一个相反的范畴。要改善这些情况，最好是赋予老人俱乐部一个重要的社会角色，例如，不是一项慈善工作，而是更有成效和更有报酬的工作。较少

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