Reconstruction Case Studies in Japan and Nepal–Perspectives from Endogenous Development and the ‘Icicle Model’

Abstract

This study argues about the theory of endogenous development, a theory of social change proposed by Japanese sociologist Kazuko Tsurumi, and its 'icicle model' described by Kunio Yanagita, which complements one of the perspectives on the concept of development that Tsurumi refers to, for the purpose to analyze examples of how adjustment efforts are made between traditional and modern way of life. While traditional life is forced to change due to modern social changes in each society, the differences between the two coexist despite their conflicts. In contrast to the idea of 'exogenous development' that imitates the Western European development model, endogenous development refers to the renewal of traditions through endogenous process in each society in response to changing needs based on the conditions of each society and its natural environment. Among them, the 'icicle model' provides a structural view point of development in which new things created in response to the needs of the new era are layered on top of the icicle, leaving the old inside, so that the new and the earlier values coexist at the same icicle. This study firstly analyzes examples of the 'icicle model' of Japan. Focusing a case of Otsuchi town in Iwate Prefecture, a town that was devastated by the tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011), and where the spring water and its wells that were characteristic of the region were incorporated into the reconstruction plan and rebuilt as the town's distinctive, traditional and natural features. This thesis will then look at Nepal's case, a country in same Asian region, focusing on cases of Dhungedhara and Pokhari, both famous traditional water facilities, the existence of which is endangered due to rapid population growth and modern infrastructure needs. An appropriate way to resolve such an issue could be a concept that might be Nepal's 'icicle model'. By examining the cases of these two countries, this study tries to convey the view of endogenous development theory proposed by a Japanese scholar who witnessed rapid changes since the 19th century, and share it in Nepali context which is also witnessing rapid change in the past decades.