While referencing the perspective of multispecies research, this project seeks to transcend the epistemic limits of the species-based taxonomy of biology and explore different forms of ”living” and “life” in and beyond the scope of human knowledge, memory, and imagination through the construction of “multi-life humanities.” In this context, we analyze the autonomy and role of nonhuman organisms in shaping human experiences in Japanese history, society, and culture. Tracing the use of medicinal plants during famine, natural disaster, and war among other times of emergency from the Edo period to the Pacific War, the project’s principal investigator Huang probes the evolution of knowledge regarding the therapeutic value of plant life from the standpoints of history, agnotology, and health humanities. From the lens of cultural anthropology, the project’s co-investigator Ochi will examine how "modern scientific rationality" and "religious and emotional care (kuyo, or memorialization)" coexist within universities and research institutions, and how this coexistence complements the ethical dilemmas faced by scientists, through an investigation of the transformations in memorial/commemorative practices and ritual spaces for donated human bodies and laboratory animals.
As a commitment to intellectual diversity, we aim as well to develop models of multidisciplinary collaboration that combine the insights of history and anthropology with those from medical, pharmaceutical, and life sciences within the context of integrated Japanese studies.
