MEMBERS
For Faculty, Researchers & Staff
Academic Researcher
Yuko TOKUYASU
Faculty of Human‐Environment Studies; Social Cluster, Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies
Cultural Anthropology, Religious Studies, Southeast Asian Studies Specialization
I conducted a cultural anthropological study in a small village inhabited by an ethnic minority in Laos, living alongside the villagers, experiencing various things, and learning from them. The villagers live in intimate connection with the surrounding forest and go to it almost every day. Even so, the women in particular are afraid to go into the forest, which is just a stone’s throw from the village. This is because the forest is a space inhabited by spirits. Although the forest must appear the same to my eyes, it holds a different meaning for the villagers; even when walking through the forest together, they are having a different experience from mine. On the other hand, as a Japanese person, that sense of the forest seems to me to be something common to our own. I hope to explore the fascination of viewing Asia from a Japanese perspective through my research.
Biography
Born in Tokyo. Withdrew from the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyushu University, in 2010 after completing the required coursework.
2013–2018: Technical Staff, Kyushu University Centennial History Editorial Office; 2018–2020: Specially Appointed Lecturer, International Exchange Center, Tokyo University of Social Welfare; 2020–2026: Research Fellow, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University/ Curator, Medical Museum of Kyushu University; 2026–present: Research Fellow, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies
2013–2018: Technical Staff, Kyushu University Centennial History Editorial Office; 2018–2020: Specially Appointed Lecturer, International Exchange Center, Tokyo University of Social Welfare; 2020–2026: Research Fellow, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University/ Curator, Medical Museum of Kyushu University; 2026–present: Research Fellow, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies
Overview of Research
I am currently writing my doctoral thesis based on cultural anthropological research conducted in a village inhabited by an ethnic minority group in Laos. I am examining how the villagers, who live in close harmony with nature, interact with their environment—including spirits. My research focuses on their relationship with the natural environment, their knowledge of spirits, and the connection between their bodies and this knowledge.
Related Countries in Asia and Oceania
Laos, Thailand, Japan
Message
I am interested in exploring new directions for my research through interactions with experts from disciplines and regions beyond my current network.
Affiliations with Academic Societies & Committee Activities
The Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology, Japanese association for Religious Studies, Japan Society for Southeast Asian Studies
Links, Personal Pages, Videos, etc.
researchmap
https://researchmap.jp/ytokuyasuKey Achievements
- Tokuyasu, Y. 2026. Overview of Materials from the Toshio Tono Exhibition: The Painful Quest for "Truth" as Revealed in the Tono Archives. Gakushinabe 216: 29-37.
- Tokuyasu, Y. 2012. Knowledge as an Other: An Essay on the Knowledge of Traditional Healers in a Mon-Khmer Village in Lao PDR. Journal of Religious Studies 86(3): 603-627.
- Tokuyasu, Y & Iwasa, M. 2012, Postpartum Care as "Practice": From Research in Mountainous Rural Area of Southern Laos. The Japanese journal of health behavioral science 27: 213-225.