Objectives

FY2003
With globalism and pluralism rapidly advancing in contemporary society, the contention is that various disparities are surfacing. At the same time, these disparities are spawning severe problems, and the search for possibilities for public covenants has become a serious issue. These problems have revealed themselves in most exacerbated forms in various places throughout the world in regards to gender disparities, the conditions associated with gender/sexuality. This joint research aims to analyze and consider various specific examples related to the actual situation regarding these complicated issues of gender disparities. We will research the structures of these diverse disparities and power relations that form the background for these situations, so as to be able to analyze from an anthropological standpoint pluralistic societies and attempt to construct models conducive to developing cooperative societies. Specifically, we will discuss the following: (1) describing diversity in gender disparity and reconsidering the concepts of gender/sexuality; (2) understanding and modeling other disparities surrounding gender disparities and power structures; and (3) analyzing and modeling present conditions that show the development of disparities as the process of reorganization of gender disparities proceeds as well as possibilities for public covenants.