The Discourse of “Encultured Nature”in Japan

The Concept of Satoyama and its Role in 21 st -Century Nature Conservation

Bibliographic Data

ID12349284
AuthorsCatherine Knight (0000-0003-1826-9051, Film Independent, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume34
Issue4
Pages421-441
Publication date2010-11-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Studies Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1035-7823 • E-ISSN: 1467-8403
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10357823.2010.527920
OpenAlexW2053323605
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited20

The term satoyama gained currency in Japan in postwar decades as a term that describes a sphere of “encultured” nature that has traditionally existed on the periphery of rural settlements, but which is increasingly threatened by industrialisation, urban development, rural depopulation and changing lifestyles. Satoyama is appealing as a concept because it represents a sphere in which nature and culture intersect, and is reminiscent of a more idyllic rural lifestyle of the past, when the Japanese “lived in harmony with nature”. This article examines the role of this term in the nature conservation discourse in Japan, and in particular its appropriation by the Ministry of the Environment and the Japanese host organisations for the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was held in Japan in 2010. The article will explore the way the concept of satoyama has been “showcased” as a model of sustainable resource management based on traditional methods of agriculture. The satoyama concept is used to demonstrate that Japan not only possesses the knowledge to live in harmony with nature, but also offers a model of sustainable resource management that the rest of the world can learn from

Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Harmony (color · Political science · Sociology · Japanese History and Culture

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub