TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Researchers - Gerster Damerow Julia

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Gerster Damerow Julia

Section

International Research Institute of Disaster Science

Job title

Associate Professor

Degree

Ｐｈ．Ｄ．（Free University Berlin）
Ｍ．Ａ．（Free University Berlin）

researchmap

https://researchmap.jp/julia_gerster

J-GLOBAL ID

202001008645825397

e-Rad No.

90842716

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8321-3823

Research Interests 3

collective memory
cultural memory
Disaster Studies, Social Recovery, Negative Heritage, Local Culture, Japanese Studies, Disaster Risk Education, Bosai

Papers 31

Part II: Using a Digital Archive for Teaching and Research

Julia Gerster

Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus　2025/04/12
Zadankai: The Future and Politics of Disaster Digital Archiving

Julia Gerster

Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus　2025/04/11
Lessons for Disaster Digital Archives: The Making and Use of the Japan Disaster Digital Archive (JDA)

Julia Gerster

Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus　2025/03/11
Inventory and Thematic Typological Analysis of 3.11 Picture Books Peer-reviewed

Elizabeth Maly, Ryo Saito, Julia Gerster, Naomi Chiba

Journal of Disaster Research　19　(6)　935-942　2024/12/01
Publisher: Fuji Technology Press Ltd.
DOI： 10.20965/jdr.2024.p0935 　

ISSN： 1881-2473

eISSN： 1883-8030

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After the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster (3.11) of March 11, 2011, the use of various media to convey disaster experiences and lessons grew, including a large number of 3.11 picture books. However, there has been limited scholarship on these books, and no comprehensive database of 3.11 picture books exists. This research conducted an comprehensive inventory of 3.11 picture books published in the 13 years after the disaster, until March 2024. 122 titles met the criteria of being picture books with stories related to the 3.11 disasters, and an initial survey identified general trends in their publication over time and by publication type. Through investigating themes and contents, the authors identified six primary narrative typological categories: (1) disaster impact stories, that focus on telling what happened; (2) disaster risk reduction action or evacuation stories; (3) stories of local pride (place attachment); (4) stories with hopeful or positive messages for the future; (5) stories of loss; and (6) stories about nature and animals. As initial research, this paper represents a unique contribution to the growing body of literature on disaster storytelling media and clarifies the characteristics of 3.11 picture books as a body of work. Building on this comprehensive inventory and thematical categorization of 3.11 picture books, the authors expect future research to further analyze the text and image contents of these books, leading to deeper understanding of the contributions of 3.11 picture books towards not only emotional care, but also raising disaster awareness.
Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (Japan) Peer-reviewed

Julia Gerster

Encyclopedia of Technological Hazards and Disasters in the Social Sciences　689-694　2024/11/12
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
DOI： 10.4337/9781800882201.ch110 　
Guest editorial: Tensions between tradition and innovation in disaster risk reduction, climate action and reconstruction Peer-reviewed

Elizabeth Maly, Tamiyo Kondo, Julia Gerster

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal　33　(5)　453-454　2024/11/12
Publisher: Emerald
DOI： 10.1108/dpm-11-2024-427 　

ISSN： 0965-3562

eISSN： 1758-6100
Introduction: Disaster and Justice

Julia Gerster

Japan's Triple Disaster. Pursuing Justice after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Accident　2023/06
Japan’s Triple Disaster

Natalia Novikova, Julia Gerster, Manuela G. Hartwig

2023/04/05
Publisher: Routledge
DOI： 10.4324/9781003340737 　
復興中の居場所とジェンダーの役割：３．１１は「機会の窓」になったのか？

Julia Gerster

災害後を生きるーー慰霊と回復の災害人文学　189-207　2023
Framing Negative Heritage in Disaster Education: School Memorials after 3.11 Invited Peer-reviewed

Gerster, J., Fulco, F.

East and West　16　165-189　2023

DOI： 10.1163/9789004512986_008 　

ISSN： 2467-9704
More than Mushrooms: Local Food Culture and Place-making After “Fukushima” Invited

Gerster, J.

Community Responses to Disasters in the Pacific Rim: Place-making in Displacement　77-94　2023

DOI： 10.4324/9781003206415-7 　
福島第一原子力発電所の原子力災害の伝承とツーリズムの可能性 Invited

Julia Gerster

福島復興の視点・論点　587-601　2023
Japan’s Disaster Memorial Museums and framing 3.11: Othering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in cultural memory

Gerster, J., Maly, E.

Contemporary Japan　34　(2)　187-209　2022/07/03
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
DOI： 10.1080/18692729.2022.2112479 　

ISSN： 1869-2737 1869-2729

eISSN： 1869-2737
The potential of disaster digital archives in disaster education: The case of the Japan disasters digital archive (JDA) and its geo-location functions Peer-reviewed

Julia Gerster, Sebastien Penmellen Boret, Ryo Morimoto, Andrew Gordon, Akihiro Shibayama

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction　77　103085-103085　2022/07
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI： 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103085 　

ISSN： 2212-4209
ボランティア元年っていつのこと

Julia Gerster

地球防災ラボ　2022
Alltag und Erinnerung. Der Nordosten Japans nach der Dreifachkatastrophe von 2011 Invited Peer-reviewed

Julia Gerster

Japan - ein Land im Umbruch　279-294　2022
Always be prepared: My unexpected encounter with the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011

Julia Gerster

Easy Japanese　6-6　2022/01
Out of the Dark: The Challenges of Branding Post-Disaster Tourism Ten Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake Peer-reviewed

Julia Gerster, Sebastien Penmellen Boret, Akihiro Shibayama

Euro-Asia Tourism Studies Journal　2　2021/11/28

DOI： 10.58345/BJOV5890 　
Post-Disaster Tourism and the recovery of the Tohoku region.

Julia Gerster

Urban-rural migration and rural revitalization in Japan Research Blog　2021/11
Kizuna: Reflections on the promotion of social cohesion during more than ten years of recovery.

Julia Gerster

Japan Anthropology Workshop (JAWS) Newsletter　2021/11
東日本大震災の震災デジタルアーカイブの10年間の歩み

柴山明寛, ゲルスタユリア

信学技報　121　(49)　32-37　2021/10
Between debris and memorial: The meaning of disaster-affected objects for local residents within the recovery process after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Julia Gerster

Japan Anthropology Workshop (JAWS) Newsletter　2021/08
Researching the Merits of Disaster Digital Archives in Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Japan: The Case of the Japan Disasters Digital Archive (JDA) and its Geolocation Function.

Julia Gerster

2021
Between "Place and Story": the Ishinomaki Archive’s Endeavor to link pre- and post- 3.11. Peer-reviewed

Kohei Takahara, Julia Gerster, Yuki Sadaike, Akiko Okubori, Yutaka Onodera

40　2021
Social lives of tsunami walls in Japan: Concrete culture, social innovation and coastal communities Peer-reviewed

Sébastien Penmellen Boret, Julia Gerster

IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science　2021/01/01

DOI： 10.1088/1755-1315/630/1/012029 　

ISSN： 1755-1307 1755-1315

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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This paper is the beginning of a reflection on the ways in which the Great East Japan Disaster (2011) might have changed people’s perception of seawalls and hard coastal defence in Japan. A highly developed society that is prone to frequent large tsunamis and storm surges, Japan’s spending on physical coastal defence has few equals around the world. The development of sea defence became a priority during the 1960-70s when coastal engineers and related agencies developed national standards. One of the chief strategies has been the edification of seawalls and other hard structures, which today surround more than 40% of Japan’s coastlines. This technological advancement might have created a general sentiment of security and trust in the ability of these coastal structures to protect coastal communities, their infrastructures and their nuclear plants. On March 11 2011, however, this general sense of safety was hardly shaken by a M9 earthquake and its ensuing tsunami taking away the lives of over 15,000 individuals and causing a material loss of over 210 billion dollars. If experts had anticipated such a large earthquake, the height of the tsunami waves and the extent of the damaged suffered along the coast of northeast Japan surpassed even the most pessimistic predictions. Reflecting on the impact of this tragedy, this paper is a first attempt to appreciate whether Japanese people’s perception of and approaches to seawalls and other coastal defences might have changed as a result. The first part of this paper provides a brief analytical overview of the culture of sea defence and its socio-economic significance in Japanese society. The second part examines more specifically the ways in which seawalls might have influenced people’s behaviour during the events of the Great East Japan Earthquake, including their creating a false-sense of security. Finally, the third part focuses on relatively innovative approaches to coastal defence in post-disaster Japan, with a particular focus on a national project known as the Great Forest Wall. Rather than its engineering efficacy, the interest in this project lies in the ways in which the project might inform us of changing people relationships and ideas with coastal defence.</jats:p>
Picturing translocal matters in a mobile world: Photography as a method of ethnographic research at a Japanese gathering in Berlin Peer-reviewed

Gerster, J., Morokhova, N.

Contemporary Japan　32　(2)　1-24　2020/04/02
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
DOI： 10.1080/18692729.2020.1735050 　

ISSN： 1869-2737 1869-2729

eISSN： 1869-2737
Coding: Mapping the mountains of ethnographic post-disaster data

Julia Gerster

Studying Japan. Research Designs, Fieldwork and Methods.　2020
Kataritsugi: Storytelling as a method in disaster risk education.

Julia Gerster

Proceedings of the 17th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, 17WCEE, Sendai, Japan　2020
Hierarchies of affectedness: Kizuna, perceptions of loss, and social dynamics in post-3.11 Japan Peer-reviewed

Gerster, J.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction　41　101304-101304　2019/12
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI： 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101304 　

ISSN： 2212-4209
Beneath the invisible cloud: Kamishibai after 3.11 Between Disaster Risk Reduction and Memorialization Peer-reviewed

Julia Gerster

The Amfieteater Journal of Performing Arts Theory,　7　(1)　64-82　2019/06

ISSN： 1855-850X
The Online-Offline Nexus: Social Media and Ethnographic Fieldwork in Post-3.11 Northeast Japan Peer-reviewed

Julia Gerster

ASIEN　149　14-32　2018/10

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Misc. 13

Preserving the memory of 3/11 is becoming more difficult. Disaster storytellers and memorial facilities in Tohoku are grappling with dwindling funds.

Julia Gerster

The Japan Times　2025/03/11
より良い未来のために経験を分かち合う：日本とドイツにおける証言者の活動 Invited

1-4　2024/09
Women’s needs in disasters are still not accounted for. The gender imbalances that plague Japan become starker in emergency situations Invited

Julia Gerster

The Japan Times　2024/04/15
No one left behind: Japan needs to work on its multicultural disaster response. When preparing for the worst, a diverse nation must consider its foreign nationals, too. Invited

Julia Gerster

The Japan Times　2024/01/30
Introduction to Pursuing disaster justice after 3.11.

Natalia Novikova, Julia Gerster, Manuela Hartwig

Japan’s Triple Disaster Pursuing Justice after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Accident　1-10　2023
Book Review of Earthquake Children. Building Resilience from the Ruins of Tokyo. By Janet Borland Harvard University Asia Center, 2020 352 pages.

Julia Gerster

Japan Review　2023
Publisher: Japan Review
遺構と呼びますか？ Invited

Julia Gerster

震災学　107-110　2023
The Vocabulary of Natural Disaster Digital Archives

柴山明寛, GERSTER Julia

東北地域災害科学研究　58　2022
[C24] Disaster Digital Archives and disaster education: Three workshop examples using the Japan Disasters Digital Archive (JDA) in different phases of the Covid-19 pandemic

GERSTER Julia, 柴山明寛, 森本涼, GORDON D. Andrew, BORET Penmellen Sebastien

デジタルアーカイブ学会誌(Web)　6　(s3)　2022

ISSN： 2432-9770
災害ボランティア、子供でもできることがある？

Julia Gerster

The Asahi Shimbun　2020/03/11
Die Recovery Olympics und der lange Weg der Heilung. Neun Jahre nach dem Ostjapanischen Erdbeben brechen Schüler ihr Schweigen.

Julia Gerster

Lindauer Zeitung　2020/03/11
Sicherheit ist relativ

Julia Gerster

Die Zeit　2017/03/12
Der Wiederaufbau der Seele beginnt erst jetzt

Julia Gerster

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)　2017/03/11

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Books and Other Publications 1

Japan's triple disaster : pursuing justice after the great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear accident

Novikova, Natalia, Gerster, Julia, Hartwig, Manuela G

Routledge　2023

ISBN: 9781032375465

Research Projects 4

Revisiting the Educational Tourism at War Heritage Sites: An Asian Perspective Beyond Dark Tourism

Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Institution: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

2023/04 - 2028/03
The integration of mass trauma in collective identity through negative heritage preservation and disaster tourism in Tohoku after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Gerster Julia

Offer Organization: 日本学術振興会

System: 科学研究費助成事業

Category: 若手研究

Institution: 東北大学

2021/04 - 2026/03

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I gained an overview on the current state of research in the field of memory studies, especially concerning collective and cultural memory of traumatic events, including natural hazard induced disasters, social violence hazards, or biological hazards. A preliminary literature review revealed that most studies on collective and cultural memory of traumatic events on European responses to WW2. Although Japanese commemoration of WW2 is a topic in Japanese studies, Hiroshima remains the main topic and there is little discussion outside of the Area Studies. Representations and memory practices related to natural hazard induced disasters were only recently picked up by researchers in Japan but the topic seems gain international interest. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic international research could not yet be carried out and domestic research was restricted but I managed to analyze several disaster museum exhibitions in Japan and participate in several online events on trauma and collective memory.
Research on digital archives of natural disasters leading to support during disasters

Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Institution: Tohoku University

2020/04 - 2023/03
The integration of negative heritage in rehabilitation strategies in Fukushima Prefecture: Bosai Tourism and Social Services Improvements in depopulated regions in Futaba, Namie, Minamisoma and Soma.

GERSTER Julia

Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up

Institution: Tohoku University

2019/08 - 2023/03

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This research analyzed post-disaster tourism and negative heritage preservation after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. It could clarify a tendency to foreground positive narratives within the disaster response and recovery as featured in tour branding, the selection of disaster heritage sites, and contents of disaster memorial museums. These tendencies led to a greater acceptance of tourism by local communities. Yet, the exclusion of dark topics limits critical educational aspects. Further, this study found vital differences in the challenges faced by Fukushima Prefecture, due the political aspects of the nuclear disaster, that were only partially addressed in tourism content. Finally, this research confirmed tourism as an essential contributor to local economies, and giving agency to disaster-affected people to shape narratives of recovery. Yet, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the risk of over-relying on tourism as a revitalization method.