Faculty
Education is recognized as one of the most important pillars in development. I have carried out research on a wide range of educational issues in developing countries. My recent research interests are in the multiple realities in primary schooling in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya.
- Research Keywords:
- comparative and international education, international development, Africa
- Career:
-
My first exposure to Africa was in 1982-84, as a secondary school science teacher of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers in Malawi. I then worked for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for more than 11 years, obtaining M.Phil. from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. from Osaka University. My academic career started at the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE) at Hiroshima University in 1997. I have been a Professor of International Development and Education at Osaka University since 2009.
- Publications:
- Challenges of Quality Education in Sub-Saharan African Countries (co-authored). Nova Science Publishers, 2010.
- Education of Children Facing Difficult Circumstances in Developing Countries: Insights from Field Studies on Refugees, Disabilities and Poverty (edited, original in Japanese), Akashi-shoten, 2019.
- “Universal Primary Education in Africa: Facets and Meanings.” In The Palgrave Handbook of African Education and Indigenous Knowledge, edited by J. Abidogun & T. Falola, 637-655, Palgrave, 2020.
Inspired by the experience of helping malaria control activities in Vanuatu as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV), I stayed on for some time to conduct an anthropological fieldwork on traditional medicine and culture. Since then, my research field has expanded to include Lao PDR, and my research has grown to include the relationships between international cooperation and cultural anthropology, and NGOs and voluntarism.
- Research Keywords:
- international medical cooperation, international cooperation volunteer, community development, malaria control
- Career:
-
Worked as a JOCV in Vanuatu from 1991 to 93. Acquired Ph.D from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies(Osaka, Japan). Worked as a WHO short term consultant for the lymphatic filariasis control project in Samoa and Fiji in 2000, and a JICA short term expert for the malaria control project in Myanmar from 2004 to 2014.
- Publications:
- Anthropology of Global Assistance. T. Nobuta, C. Shirakawa and T. Udagawa (eds.), Showado, 2017. (in Japanese)
- “A Malaria Control Project and Anthropology in Myanmar.” MINPAKU Anthropology Newsletter 23: 5–6, 2006.
- “Dengue Fever Outbreak and the Place of Traditional Medicine among the People of Tongoa, Vanuatu.” Man and Culture in Oceania 15: 45–64, 1999.
Water is inevitable for life, as is sanitation and hygiene. Understanding those issues within a social context is my research focus. I also do research on menstrual management (MHM) and school health as well.
- Research Keywords:
- development anthropology, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), menstruation, international development, African studies
- Career:
-
Worked for JICA (Social development dept. and Kenya Office). Received M.A. in Anthropology from University of Florida. Also got the Certificate of Public Health & Tropical Diseases at Johns Hopkins University. Acquired Ph.D. in Anthropology from University of Florida. Worked as American Redcross volunteer, WSP（Water & Sanitation Program) consultant、JICA visiting senior advisor, and a faculty member at Toyo University before taking a position at Osaka University.
- Publications:
- Anthropology of Menstruation: “Periods” of female students and development assistance. Kyoto: Sekaishioso-sha. 2022.
- “Gender and Culture Matters: Considerations for Menstrual Hygiene Management.” In Yamauchi, T., Nakao, S., Harada, H. (eds) The Sanitation Triangle. Global Environmental Studies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7711-3_5
- “Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Japanese Elementary Schools: Current conditions and practices.” Pediatrics International, 64(1): e15062
- “Increasing Quantity of Water: Perspectives from rural households in Uganda.” Water Policy, 8: 529-537, 2006.