Leiden University Student Repository

Buck, Thijs de (2014)

The role of social capital in post-disaster Tohoku: Finding employment

Master thesis | Asian Studies (120 EC) (MA)

This thesis considers the role of social capital in the post-disaster recovery of fishermen and farmers in a coastal and rural region. Primarily focusing on two towns in Miyagi prefecture which were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the resulting tsunami in 2011, this thesis considers how the possession of cultural and social capital can hinder or enable recovery and company growth. Through the use of three case studies involving local fishermen and farmers who were affected by the disaster, this thesis argues that social capital plays an important role in enabling the recovery and growth of affected individuals and companies. In addition, not only the possession, but also the characteristics of said social capital determines to what extent and for what purposes social capital can be used to achieve recovery.

Social Capital

Disaster

Disaster recovery

Tohoku

Japan

Great East Japan Earthquake

Tsunami

Fishery

Agriculture

Cultural Capital

Author

Buck, Thijs de

Note

Please request written permission from the author if you want to access this thesis and/or if you want to refer to it in your own (academic) work.

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Japanese Studies

Supervisors

Ezawa, Aya

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en