Date of Award

Spring 5-18-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Policy (MPP)

First Advisor

Louisa Lombard

Subject Area(s)

Asian studies, Cultural anthropology, Economics, Ethnic studies, International law, International relations, Social research, Sociology

Abstract

Asking “In what ways have anthropological methods been part of Japan's peacebuilding and development interventions in the Bangsamoro?”, this research hopes to make a contribution to the study of anthropology and development and their practical application by exploring the possibilities of the role of an anthropological approach in making sense of modern-day development programs, particularly through the case study of Japan’s peacebuilding-through-development efforts in the Bangsamoro. After outlining the research question as well as the design and methodology used to answer it and an overview of the histories of dispossession and the Japanese relationship to Mindanao, the essay delves into the theoretical underpinnings of the relationship between development and anthropology, and peacebuilding by extension, given that Japan’s intervention in the Bangsamoro is a peace-through-development approach. In defining the ‘anthropological way,’ the essay devises a ‘critical agency’ approach which combines ethnographic perspectives, and anthropological critiques including an acknowledge of the dilemmas facing the development practitioner on the ground. The framework enables the peacebuilding and development practitioner to overcome the political and structural irreconcilabilities to doing development that the analysis identifies.

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