Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR) is a newly reorganized facility of Osaka Metropolitan University devoted to research on human rights issues.
As well as fully succeeding a more than a quarter century research efforts done by the former Dowa Mondai Research Institute (see below for Dowa Mondai), we stretch our focus on to gender, ethnic, disability and other minority/human rights issues.
The former Dowa Mondai Research Institute was establish in 1972 at Osaka City University.
It was reorganized into Research Center for Human Rights in April, 2000.
Dowa Mondai
Dowa Mondai (or Buraku Mondai) signifies the issues concerning a minority group unique to Japanese Society. Burakumin are the people whose ancestors were relegated to an outcast status in the pre-modern era. Having no distinguishing physical or cultural traits, today Burakumin are distinguished by their addresses in communities called Buraku (or Dowa districts) which were segregated in the pre-modern era, or their ancestral backgrounds which are designated in their family registrations. Burakumin still face discrimination and suffer from low socio-economic status today.
Research Activities
Since 1972 when the former Institute was founded as a first academic research facility for minority issues in Japan, we have been conducting many surveys on minority situations, minority communities' social changes, people's consciousness on minority/human rights issues, both in quantitative and qualitative methods. We also collect survey reports, books, materials, and other kinds of information on gender/minority/human rights issues including English publications. Journal for Human Rights is published annually. Researchers and students seeking information on gender/minority/human rights issues in Japan are welcomed to visit us.
Fields of Research
Gender/Minority/Human Rights Issues in Japan
Gender, Minorities and Group Relations in Japan
Discrimination/Prejudice against Minorities
Socio-economic Status of Minorities
Educational Attainment of Minorities
Social changes in Minority communities
Governmental Policies on Human rights and Minority Issues
Human Rights Education / Dowa Education (Buraku Liberation Education)
Information
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