日本の地理学におけるインド地域研究の展開 : 1980年代以降の成果を中心に

本稿では，インドを対象として日本の地理学者が行った研究を1980年代以降について整理し，その成果と課題を明らかにしようとした。これらの研究が行われた時期は，1980年代の経済の部分自由化期と，1991年以降の本格的な経済自由化期に当たり，停滞するインドから変貌するインドへの移行が明瞭になった時期である。最初に，長くインドの経済社会の中心にあった農業の変化と農村の開発に関する研究に触れ，次いで，経済自由化の中で大きな地域変化をもたらしたものとして，工業化と新たな工業地域の形成，都市化の進展と大都市の発展，経済発展にともなう空間構造の再編の順に，検討した。その結果，社会経済変化の実態とそのメカニズムについて多くの研究成果が得られていることが判明した。しかしながら，大都市や国土空間構造に関する研究は未だ少なく，今後の体系的アプローチが期待される。

This article examined regional studies on contemporary India by Japanese geographers, specifically since the 1980s. These studies were undertaken during a period of partial economic liberalization in 1980s and the full-fledged economic liberalization since 1991. During this period, India’s transition from a stagnant to a dynamic economy became apparent. This paper investigated a variety of factors in India’s development. First it examined researches relating to the changes in agriculture and the rural development that were important to India’s economic development. Second, it examined the dynamic features and major regional changes as part of economic liberalization, which includes reorganization of spatial structures pertaining to industrialization and the formation of new industrial regions, the progression of urbanization and development of major cities, and economic growth. During this period, the research conducted by Japanese geographers yielded many important achievements and results based on fieldwork. In the research conducted in an era of economic liberalization and rapid economic growth, there are a number of studies that provide valuable insights into the socioeconomic changes in India’s cities and villages and the mechanisms behind them. However, research studies on metropolitan cities and nationwide spatial structures have only just got underway, and we hope for more systematic research on them will be undertaken in the near future.