AKITSU Motoki

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University.

Academic Career Background

I started to research about the rural society of Japan at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University. 　Later, I took up a position as assistant professor at Faculty of Bioresources in Mie University, assistant and lecturer at Graduate School of Agriculture in Kyoto University, associate professor at Faculty of Letters in Nara Women’s University before the present position. I always had an interest in the relations between place and livelihood in rural communities. I conducted most of my field research in Japan, but also enjoyed ‘jaunty’ surveys in Korea, Tanzania, Hungary and Thailand. Ph.D (Agricultural Science, Kyoto University, 1995).

Main Academic Contributions

Motoki Akitsu, “Farming Life and Social Networks: from the socializing perspective”, Ochanomizu Shobo (Publishing House), January 1998
Motoki Akitsu, “The invention of ‘mountain villages’ in 20th century Japan” in the Annual Bulletin of Rural Studies, No. 36, page 151-182, November 2000
Motoki Akitsu, “Rural Youth and Women’s New Movements: from destiny to free choice” in “The History of Rural Community (Food, Agriculture and Rural Communities in Post-war Japan series, number 11)”, edited by Tamotsu Tabata and Masatoshi Oouchi, Norintokeikyokai (Publishing House), November 2005
Motoki Akitsu, “To protect the diversity of the rural landscape”, “Nogyo to Keizai (Agriculture and Economy)”, volume 72, Issue 6, page 42-51, May 2006
Motoki Akitsu, “Exclusion and Cooperation over Water” in “Research on Rural Village Resources”, edited by the Japanese Association for Rural Studies, Nosangyoson Bunkakyokai (Publishing House), March 2007
“Cultural-turning countryside: A research guide for present rural society” by Motoki Akitsu in “Bioresources Problems and the World” (Thinking the 21st century Agriculture from the perspective of Bioresources series, volume 7), edited by Kimio Noda, Kyoto University Press, September 2007
Motoki Akitsu, Wasa Fujii, Miki Shibuya, Kazuo Ooishi and Tamaki Kashio, “Rural Gender: A new perspective on women and rural society”, Showado (Publishing House), October 2007
Motoki Akitsu, “How should we study the well-being of regions? : reintroducing values into our research for regional agriculture and forestry”, Journal of Rural Problems (ISSN: 03888-525), Issue 169, Page 5-12, March 2008
Motoki Akitsu, “The reconstruction of life in agricultural communities and the role of small businesses”, “Nogyo to Keizai (Agriculture and Economy)”, volume 74, Issue 13, page 5-14, November 2008

Research Group： Field Survey

Main Research Field at present and aspirations about the GCOE：

I have two interests at present. One of them is about thinking on what is necessary for the survival of the deteriorating agricultural and fishing communities in mountainous areas, isolated islands and peninsulas. Traditionally, these communities were sustained by personal and communal bonds in family and local community but at present they are declining as a result of aging and depopulation, therefore their reorganizations, including governmental local policies, have become a matter of concern. The second interest I have is about the human relations created from food supplied by agriculture. In the time when the food safety is coming up to the vital concern, is the trust between consumers and farmers supported by an intimate relation such as face-to-face, or is it supported by a public relation based on certification systems and the like? On this GCOE program, I’m beginning to conduct a tentative research on the latter subject. I would like to describe both the present situation and the future possible situations of the human relations based upon food, comparing Japan, Korea, Thailand and the USA.

GCOE for Reconstruction of the Intimate and Public Spheres in 21st. Century Asia

(1) Committee belonging and Roles, etc.
   Responsible for Project Promotion, Field Research Group

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