International Center for Folk Culture Studies

　This study focuses on traditional female divers in Taiwan called Hailu and their lives. In the coastal areas of Taiwan, “the culture and customs of traditional female divers” have often been observed; yet in the field of research on the Han Chinese, dominated by agricultural fundamentalism, studies on the existence of people relying on marine produce for a living have been neglected. Furthermore, researchers in East Asian studies continue to embrace the stereotype that female divers represent Japan and Jeju Island in South Korea. Traditional female divers in Taiwan have been overlooked in these two ways.
　Given these backgrounds, this project aims to conduct ethnographic studies on the fishing activities of traditional female divers, such as diving fisheries and seaweed hand-hauling, in Taiwan’s coastal villages. How these activities fit into village life will then be examined. At the same time, viewpoints in understanding the culture and customs of traditional female divers in the context of research on the Han Chinese will be explored. Another goal of this project is to gain a foothold in a new form of research on traditional female divers in East Asia and the Pacific Rim by comparing the situations in Taiwan and Japan.