VIRTUAL Barcelona
Abstract
Tōjisha-kenkyū is a therapeutic research practice developed by an autonomous community with mental health challenges in rural Hokkaido, Japan ( https://aeon.co/essays/japans-radical-alternative-to-psychiatric-diagnosis). Its key innovation is that research is carried out by not on the concerned parties, in groups, moving from a therapy-focused to a research-focused way of addressing individual difficulties. It is characterised by (1) humour, (2) embracing weakness for community building, and (3) eschewing “cures” in favour of creating worlds where one can live. Tōjisha-kenkyū was developed in the context of a highly institutionalised Japanese mental health system but is now implemented in diverse fields from robotics to workplace design. It has been applied to disaster situations (e.g. Lee, et al., 2019) but more research is needed in this area. Our Weather Commons Research Group (Faculty of Collaborative Regional Innovation, Ehime University)* which focuses on developing and operationalising the concept of “weather commons” has been considering how tōjisha-kenkyū might be used by vulnerable communities in extreme weather events.
We offer an overview of tōjisha-kenkyū and explore the potential of tōjisha-kenkyū for fostering “convivial weather commoners” who have agency and self-determination in extreme weather events. We conclude with (1) a preliminary framework for practising tōjisha-kenkyū as “convivial weather commoners” and (2) an invitation to collaborate with us. *Part of the Japanese government’s Moonshot Goal 8 for “a society safe from the threat of extreme winds and rains by controlling and modifying the weather by 2050.” ( https://www.jst.go.jp/moonshot/en/program/goal8/index.html).
Chris Berthelsen is an artist-researcher who explores environments for creative activity, resident-led modification of the everyday environment, and alternative education(s). He is a researcher at the Faculty of Collaborative Regional Innovation (Ehime University) in the Moonshot Goal 8 Project for Weather Control and a doctoral candidate focusing on tōjisha-kenkyū (当事者研究) at the Elam School of Fine Arts (Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand). Chris is also co-chairperson of Activities and Research in Environments for Creativity Charitable Trust (Aotearoa)
Tsuyoshi Hatori is a researcher working on urban and regional planning, disaster management, and consensus building. He is a professor at the Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of Collaborative Regional Innovation and the head of the Disaster Resilience Research Unit at Ehime University. He is also working with residents of a mountainous area in Ehime Prefecture on a new project called tōjichi-kenkyū (当事地研究), in which he applies the approach of tōjisha-kenkyū to community development.