Our aim in the present study is to establish a new methodology for contemporary folklore (minzoku) research by bringing together scholars who work from multiple perspectives, including those of folklore studies, cultural anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and media theory; have them trade ideas back and forth regarding their respective topical concerns and methods; and through this from an interdisciplinary perspective reappraise the concept of "minzoku" and attempt to reconstitute it.The contemporary world is approaching a great transformation at present due to the rapid advance of globalization. In response, traditional academic divisions are breaking down, and mutual boundary-crossing is making steady progress. When it comes to research related to contemporary folklore in particular, great quantities of work that should be referenced are accumulating in adjacent fields such as sociology that deal more with the contemporary age than the field of folklore studies. Approaches that take an interdisciplinary perspective are indispensable.In the present study, the project of disassembling and reviving the concept of "minzoku" defines the content of the research outlined below based on the position that such is indispensable for establishing the methodology for contemporary folklore research.It will reconstitute the fixed and static concept of "minzoku" by drawing attention to such concepts as "stranger," "others," "immigrant," "migration," and "mobility." We will explore the possibilities of the concept of "minzoku" in contemporary sociocultural research. We will also investigate the scope of contemporary sociocultural research that has employed new concepts of "minzoku" and sort out courses of action with an orientation toward specific case studies. Through the foregoing work, we will investigate the possibilities for making a unique contribution from a new perspective as well as those for its practical use and application with respect also to the difficult issues that contemporary society is facing.

Research Representative	山　泰幸	国際日本文化研究センター・客員教授
Organizer	小松　和彦	国際日本文化研究センター・所長
Team Researcher	石田 佐恵子	大阪市立大学大学院文学研究科・教授
〃	岩本　通弥	東京大学大学院総合文化研究科・教授
〃	浮葉　正親	名古屋大学留学生センター・准教授
〃	門田　岳久	立教大学観光学部・助教
〃	阪本　俊生	南山大学経済学部・教授
〃	菅　康弘	甲南大学文学部・教授
〃	橘　弘文	大阪観光大学観光学部・教授
〃	舩戸　修一	静岡文化芸術大学文化政策学部・講師
〃	法橋　量	慶應義塾大学文学部・非常勤講師
〃	山中 千恵	仁愛大学人間学部・准教授
〃	梁　仁實	岩手大学人文社会科学部・准教授
〃	飯倉　義之	国際日本文化研究センター・技術補佐員