Gender
Issues in Relation to the Alternative Movement Against the Kobe City
Artery Project, Post-Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake |
| The purpose of this paper is to define the characteristics of women’s activities, and that of gender hierarchy within a community, and to consider strategies for agender-balanced community. As an example, I have used the case of the alternative movement against the post-Hanshin-Awaji earthquake artery project, Nishisuma district, Kobe City. This paper focuses on the activities of “The Housewives Group.” After the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, the Kobe City government decided to construct three traffic arteries in the Nishisuma district. A number of Resident Groups took swift action for an alternative plan to rebuild the community after the disaster, but negotiations with the city government broke down. It was too challenging to succeed with mass community organization and action because so many residents had been displaced and there were differing opinions amongst the groups’ leaders. The Housewives Group, though they had no previous experience of community action, started their movement belatedly, in 1996. They first had to overcome Japanese patriarchal gender bias, which denied women the ability to speak with their own voice or to take political action. Despite the challenges, they succeeded in forming a community organization. In the year 2000, riding on the back of their actions in the late 90s, the residents established an ongoing research project. Despite their hard work, members continue to be suppressed and barred by the state of patriarchal social conditioning in Japan. They have been forced to channel their aims into subcontracted work in the community. However, in evaluating their new roles within the community, they are pleased to find new vigor in their lives, vigor and meaning, which differs from traditional gender role assignment. In conclusion, this case suggests the importance of empowering both men and women to practice equally within a community, both localized and extended. |