10th DOIS Research Seminar: Dr. Hitomu Kotani (Kyoto University)


Date & Time: July 25 2023 15:00-16:00
Venue: Zoom

 

Speaker:Dr. Hitomu Kotani (Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Assistant Professor)
Title: Potential of foreign minorities in disaster risk reduction in Japan: Mosque as the COVID-19 vaccination site

 

Abstract

During disasters, foreign minority groups are considered vulnerable due to their cultural, religious, and linguistic differences from the majority. This was also the case with the pandemic of COVID-19, which is included in disasters. As an example, they were likely to be left out of the vaccination process. However, some of foreign minorities are resilient and may have the potential to work as critical stakeholders in disaster risk reduction, but their functions and challenges are not well known. In this seminar, I will present the first case in Japan where a mosque, being the hub of foreign Muslims, was used as a vaccination site from the end of July 2021. The targeted mosque was Ebina Mosque in Kanagawa Prefecture, and most of the vaccine recipients were foreign Muslims. Based on our interviews and field observations, I will describe the linguistic and religious responses at the mosque, as well as the problems that arose when using the mosque. Through the results, I will discuss the potential of mosques in Muslim-minority societies to approach foreign minorities in disasters, including pandemics.