Yasuo Yabuki

Department of Sociology, Rikkyo UniversityAssistant Professor*Profile is at the time of the award.

2019Inamori Research GrantsHumanities & Sociology

Research topics
Changing incentive of actors and awareness strategies in the movement of people with visual disfigurements
Keyword
Summary
In Japan, it was only at the end of the 20th century that people with visual disfigurements, whose appearance is not “normal” due to illness or external injuries, began a campaign for a solution to the problem of discrimination. Such a movement began when an incorporated non-profit organization (NPO), Unique Face, raised the problem, demanding that persons without visual disfigurements become conscious of inflicting harm on those with visual disfigurements. The successor to Unique Face was another NPO, My Face, My Style (MFMS), and it has chosen not to regard the general public as the enemy, instead seeking a compromise from those without visual disfigurements. For this proposed research, I will use the research grant from the Inamori Foundation to study activities mostly conducted by the MFMS, including the strategies behind their movements and what triggered the change in motivating factors for people participating in the movements. This research is intended to clearly indicate the shift in the nature of movements from accusatory to empathy-seeking. As such, the findings are expected to be shared with other anti-discrimination movements of various minority groups, thus contributing to the realization of an inclusive society for the future.

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I will do my best to achieve something that can benefit society at large, rather than the community concerned alone.

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Humanities & Sociology