Japanese Exchange on Intergenerational Communications
Community arts exchange with island communities
Researchers: Sarah Wagner (UHI Inverness), Tomoko Kanayama (IAMAS, Japan), Rosie Blake (UHI North, West and Hebrides), Mandy Haggith (UHI Inverness), Akiko Ogawa (Ritsumeikan University, Japan)
This project developed avenues for knowledge exchange between academics and practitioners in Japan and Scotland about community arts methods and generated new insights into community arts practices through qualitative research in two small island contexts - the Amami Islands in southern Japan and the Outer Hebrides in northwest Scotland.
The research engaged community members in narrative enquiry and collaborative creative practice to explore the interrelations of changing (digital) communication practices and intergenerational connectedness. Community arts workshops, held at museums, care homes, and educational settings involved people across the ages in poetic enquiry, storytelling, and image-making, and provided insights into how media landscapes can support/inhibit meaningful intergenerational dialogue in community projects.
Funding
- Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Small Research Grant
- Royal Society of Edinburgh Small Grant
- Land and Communities Challenge Fund
Presentations and papers
Wagner, S. and Kanayama, T. (2024, July). Weavings of Amamian and Hebridean Storytelling [video]. International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference.
Wagner, S. (2024, May). Intergenerational creativity and cultural revitalisation: Learning from Amamian cultural weaving. Presented at the Ageing-in-Data Workshops, RMIT and UOC, Barcelona.
Wagner, S. (2024, April). Carnivalized Storytelling and Intergenerational Creativity. Presented at the UHI Festival of Crativity.
Media links
Media - News- UHI Inverness trip to Japan reveals digital media's influence on island life
