Environmental Health in Japan; Addressing Environmental Change Through Mental Healthcare with Professor Kumaki

Thursday, December 4th. 2024. Wilder 101

Assistant Professor Hiroko Kumaki from the Anthropology Department presented her preliminary research on mental healthcare in response to the environmental changes caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. She introduced the disaster’s background, outlined her research methods, and shared tentative conclusions. Professor Kumaki highlighted the critical role mental healthcare plays in supporting individuals who experience ambiguous loss, including attachment to and relationships with their environment. She concluded with the insight that “care for the environment is care for the self” and expressed her hope to be inspired by audience feedback. Despite the cold and snowy weather, about twenty students and faculty members attended the event.