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Formulating and Constructing Death and Life StudiesSHIMAZONO Susumu(Program Leader) The 21st century COE Program "Construction of Death and Life Studies concerning Culture and Value of Life" is an attempt to formulate and construct a new synthetic area of study that encompasses wide and in-depth knowledge about various aspects and issues related to "life" and "death" that have come to bear heavier and heavier in present day situations. The word shiseikan (perspective on death and life) in Japanese has its own history and is a commonly used word in the everyday life of contemporary Japan. The concept of shouji (life and death), which has its root in Buddhism, has a longer history, and the process in which shiseikan (perspective on death and life), rather than shoujikan (perspective on life and death), became dominant in Japanese requires further research. The word shiseigaku is a much newer word, and has been employed mostly as a translation of the English word "thanatology." However, in our 21st century COE program, we decided to render in English our project as Death and Life to convey that it is a discipline that covers a much wider area than thanatology, which focuses mostly on aspects of death. In the past, when the name of "Death and Life Studies" was evoked, it often located its starting point in actual situations at medical and nursing institutions. Nursing of those who are dying and of those who watch the loved ones pass away posit significant issues for Death and Life Studies in a larger sense of the word. Moreover, clinical and on-the-spot issues hold important factors in an attempt to construct Death and Life Studies in a different way. We plan to re-examine what is known today as bio-ethics, and ask fundamental questions as a part of a project to map out the discipline. In lieu of bio-ethics that has a strong utilitarian inclination as is developed in English-speaking countries, we hope to respond to various issues caused by the rapid development of bio-science and medical technologies by asking more in-depth questions about "life" and "death." In other words, this is an attempt to answer the continual strengthening of applied ethics. While Death and Life Studies tries to answer the urgent contemporary issues discussed above, it also tries to expand and develop knowledge and research in the areas of civilization and religion. How should we situate "life" and "death" in the first place and how should we face them? Attitudes toward these questions form a fundamental structure of each culture and civilization. In fact, it is possible to consider religion, art, and literature as always questioning and depicting these themes and issues. Perspectives on life and soul, and the forms and styles of funeral and commemorative activities formulate the frameworks for emotions and thoughts as well as behavioral patterns of those who live within each culture. How do we face those who died and in what way do we try to receive the gifts sent from the deceased? I believe that reflecting back on the collective relationship with the deceased is an inseparable part of our rumination of the responsibilities for the future mankind. In the context of our present situation, where the limits of the modern intellectual tradition has been lamented and the search for new knowledge has taken place in various parts of the world, Death and Life Studies aims to view the new arena of exchange and dialogue between civilizations and cultures. In addition, we aspire to step beyond the dividing walls among each specialized area involved in this project and to overcome the isolation of knowledge. In the place where "life," "death," and "mind" matter, the methodologies of natural science are valuable, while the knowledge of humanities and social science try to answer various questions. The gap between the sciences and humanities is not merely limited to urgent issues in actual cases of medicine and clinical care but also includes complex problems in many areas of people's lives today. The Death and Life Studies that we propose strives to rise above specialized domains and knowledge. Given the limited numbers of those involved in this project, I am not so optimistic to think that the new field of Death and Life Studies can be "constructed" in a mere five years. The formulation of Death and Life Studies is an enormous task. Moreover, the process of "constructing" a discipline must be patient and meticulous. We are not trying to do away with the frameworks built by each discipline involved in this project. Rather, we want to piece together the force that would enable each discipline to step forward for new explorations of "Death and Life Studies" without losing its roots in the traditions cultivated in each field. Of course, it is not necessarily possible to foresee if our effort will result in a concrete shape for a new study. However, in the situation where many promising disciplines conspicuously raise their heads,"Death and Life Studies" certainly serves as an effective term to configure and survey a formulation of unity among them. "Death and Life Studies" is a fitting designation as we foregather a variety of forces in the humanities and name ourselves as the international base for dispatching this knowledge. Please refer to the websites as follows for more information about 21st COE program.
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