What's EAP all about ?

What's EAP all about? Eurasia Project on the Study of Population and Family History

Research Associate, Nichibunken KUROSU Satomi

Beginning... It sounded like a dream when Prof. Akira Hayami first told me abouthis grand idea of comparing population and family history in the context of "Eurasia." It appears more unreal that this ambitious project was actually initiated last year and has evolved to include 40 researchers in Japan, and 15 from China, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, France, U.S.A. and Turkey. Prof. Hayami's idea was a natural outcome of his three-decade career in historical demography. His active role as a board member in the International Associations of Historical Demography and Economic History also inspired him to initiate this grand proposal. The proposal was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, which awarded a generous grant for five years starting in 1995 (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research). This collaborative project is not only comparative, with participants who are experts on the countries they study, but also inter-disciplinary, with a wide range of fields represented. Participants include historians, economic historians, sociologists, anthropologists and statisticians. What are we trying to achieve? We have three objectives in mind. (1) The first is an international comparison in the context of Eurasia. Employing longitudinal data form Japan, Sweden, China, Belgium and Italy, we link the study of family systems and household structure to the analysis of demographic behavior. For the most part, we apply event-history analysis combined with time-series analysis. Since previous research has primarily used data from Western societies, the possibility that families and households can be treated as actors distinct from the individuals which they comprise is a new viewpoint we can explore using Asian data. (2) The group also attempts to collect more Shumon-Aratame-cho (a kind of population register) and other historical materials from throughout Japan. We focus upon collecting materials from the western region, as well as fishing villages, and urban areas. In addition, we are developing a program to digitalize data and create a relational database that will facilitate access and use of this data. (3) With these data collections, we have the rare opportunity to work collaboratively within Japan to further our understanding of the mechanisms of interrelationships between population, family and socioeconomic factors with respect to regional variation and macro trends from the 17th to 20th centuries. How will we do it? To meet these objectives, we have set up a tight schedule for the next four years. During the first year, 1995, we have been working primarily on mortality. Analyses of fertility, nuptiality, migration and household structure will follow. Our international collaborations attempt to run one single model to uncover the similarities between countries and the peculiarities of each country. We utilize international conferences (Social Science History Association, International Economic History Association) to present our results to the public and for our own discussions and meetings. The domestic group also meets twice a year for intensive 3-4 day seminars. In addition, sub-groups working on various aspects of the project gather spontaneously. Their activities and research notes are circulated among members in the form of newsletters. Members also communicate daily through e-mail exchanges, and we consult on models and methods through our own World Wide Web site. Where to find us? Our main office is at Nichibunken. We also have a second office at the Research Center of Reitaku University in Shinjuku. Altogether, more than 12 staff members are assisting us in the translation of historical materials, data-entry, calculation, publication, financial and other business matters. The contact address of the main office via e-mail is: eapnet@nichibun.ac.jp. A home page (in Japanese) is currently being developed in Japan and is accessible at:http://eap.nichibun.ac.jp/. Further information on members and the serial publications of the project can be found in our home page. As a concluding note, on behalf of the members of EAP, I would like to thank the Ministry of Education for this unprecedented opportunity. We are also grateful to Nichibunken staff members for their generous cooperation.