Southeast Asian studies in Japan have developed with a foundation in interdisciplinarity, encompassing not only the humanities and social sciences, but also a wide range of natural science fields such as agriculture, ecology, environmental studies, and medicine. This research aims to trace the historical development of Southeast Asian studies in Japan and to clarify how the concepts and approaches of interdisciplinary research seen in contemporary Southeast Asian studies have been cultivated. Furthermore, it seeks to examine the significance and intellectual contributions of Japanese scholarship within the global trends of Southeast Asian area studies.
In the 2024 academic year, in collaboration with the principal investigator, researchers and research topics related to Southeast Asia in Japan were identified. A series of interviews were conducted, through which distinctive features and emerging trends were analyzed from individual experiences. Additionally, research networks surrounding the interviewed scholars were visualized. This fiscal year, we will continue the interview-based investigations while aiming to clarify patterns and chronological changes in research fields and themes, as well as the characteristics of network formation among researchers.