Notes from the Field

Learning the Living Arts and Techniques of Uzbek Herders

Natsumi Shida

A durable cloth with simple white patterns woven into a multi-colored stripe in black, red, navy blue, green, orange and bordeaux. This flat-woven carpet is a product of the nomadic tent life of the people living in the arid regions of Central Asia. As a researcher, how does the author attempt to depict the ethnography of carpet weaving while observing the lives of the people? Find the research that won the 15th JSPS Ikushi Prize.

Notes from the Field

Weaving Encounters from the Margins
In Memory of the Anthropologist Shimizu Hiromu

Mario Lopez

Professor Shimizu Hiromu passed away in February 2025. The author traces the long intellectual journey of Professor Shimizu as an anthropologist, researcher of the Philippines Studies, and educator, and what he left behind for future generations, by looking at his writings and other materials.

New Staff

Majid Daneshgar

Associate Professor Majid Daneshgar has joined CSEAS in July 2023. To define the concept of ”Orient,” he explores connections between the whole world’s literature using wide range of materials in different languages.

Letter from the Kamogawa River

When Your Curry Speaks to You

Text: Nathan Badenoch　
Illustration: Atelier Epocha

Have you ever heard a curry dish talking? What kind of sounds do you hear in the convenience store or on the bus? Welcome to the wonderful world of onomatopoeia research, as invited by a linguist exploring the various languages.