Gilligan’s work in a different voice (1982) has received a wider range of responses from feminists in various different fields (Okano, 2016), but the potentials of ethics of care have not been fully explored in community reconstruction and sustainable development in disaster contexts (Hayes and Jackson 2019) where caring responsibilities, responsive-ness and relationality are critical important. Some scholars concern that in catastrophic contexts, gendered divisions of labour—particularly caregiving responsibilities—are often maintained and reproduced, reinforcing traditional stereotypes women’ s role. However, the 2011 catastrophic tsunami in Japan witnessed women’s evolving roles and efforts in reconstruction, embodying a feminist ethos of care that transcends the notion of care as inherently “natural.” Despite their efforts, women’s shifting roles, post-disaster lived experiences, and caring capacities to facilitate sustainability are frequently obscured by socially constructed gender norms and vulnerabilities. Their contribution remains underrecognized and insufficiently documented (Clissold et al., 2020). This research aims to explore the intersection of gender and sustainability through narratives of the Okami (traditional Japanese inn proprietress). It seeks to understand how care ethics are constructed and implemented during the process of disaster reconstruction, shedding light on the influence of gender on sustainability from care ethics lens.
The research was conducted between 2016 to 2023 using a longitudinal ethnographic approach (a prolonged motorcycle ethnography 2016 and collaborative ethnography 2023). Multiple methods were employed for data collection including interviews, photo and video elicitation, participant observation, and the analysis of documentary and media reports in disaster-affected communities in Japan to enhance data “thickness”.
The findings of narrative analysis suggest that the traditional image of Okami (women owners of Japanese Inns) as “a producer of Japanese identity” (Guichard-Anguis, 2008) has been reshaped from being a stereotypical image of cultural carrier of feminine identity to proactive dynamic care ethics mobiliser in the process of disaster reconstruction. The emerging harsh situation and subsequent engagement with post-disaster stakeholders serve as a depository of discursive justification for action for change and legitimate their changing role. We found that ethics of care was manifested by Okami as both as value and action to respond to the suffering beyond Japanese culture of hospitality “Omotenashi”, (Japanese concept of wholehearted hospitality); They contribute to sustainability through 1) “self” as a care narrator to articulate what they “care about” ( human and non-human), contextualize and co-create therapy for shifting the collective suffering toward social sustainability, 2) organisation (Japanese inn/ryokan) as space for “care practice” to regenerate reduced social connection, and sustainable living environment. Women’s changing identities, their contextualized experiences/local knowledge, to enhance human-nature connection through ethics of care value and caring practice have potential for developing a more inclusive approach to sustainability in wider context.
References
Guichard-Anguis, S., (2008). Japanese inns (ryokan) as producers of Japanese identity. Japanese tourism and travel culture, pp.76-101.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Harvard university press.
Hayes, P., & Jackson, D. (2020). Care ethics and the responsible management of power and privacy in digitally enhanced disaster response. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 18(1), 157-174.
Okano, Y. (2016). Why has the ethics of care become an issue of global concern? International Journal of Japanese Sociology, 25(1), 85-99.