AREA STUDIES APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, LIVELIHOODS, AND LOCAL PRAXIS IN ASIA AND AFRICA: HISTORY AND PROGRESS AT KYOTO UNIVERSITY AND ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This is the introductory paper to "Environment, Livelihoods, and Local Praxis in Asia and Africa" and it focuses on the approaches to Area Studies currently used at Kyoto University, Japan, and Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, with special reference to their historical background and progress. A formal program in Asian and African Area Studies was established at Kyoto University in the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies (ASAFAS) in 1998, and it has produced several Ph.D. graduates. The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology (SOSA) at Addis Ababa University was established in 1962, and the MA program in Social Anthropology (SOAN) was launched in 1990. Whereas SOSA studies focus mainly on anthropological and sociological studies within Ethiopia, ASAFAS covers Asian and African countries. The background to these two institutions, their establishment and accomplishments, and the thematic focus and geographic coverage are overviewed. Finally, the organization of this volume and the contents of each paper are summarized.