Rate My Professor Shinichi Shigetomi

Shinichi Shigetomi is Professor in the Department of International Studies, Faculty of International Studies, at Meiji Gakuin University, and serves as Dean of the Faculty. He completed the doctoral course in the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University, where he obtained an M.A. in Agricultural Science and a Ph.D. in Economics. His academic and professional journey began with extensive fieldwork in a rural community in northeastern Thailand, shaping his motto of 'thinking from the grassroots.' Before joining Meiji Gakuin University in April 2015, Shigetomi held positions as Research Fellow at the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) and Director of the Center for Regional Research at the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). These roles honed his expertise in development studies and regional research in Asia.

Shigetomi's research specializations include rural development, local organizations, primary commodity trade, social movements, agricultural economics, and Thai area studies. His publications address self-organization in rural societies, the interplay between state and NGOs, and grassroots movements. Key works encompass 'Local Societies and Rural Development: Self-organization and Participatory Development in Asia' (co-edited with Ikuko Okamoto, Edward Elgar, 2014), 'Protest and Social Movements in the Developing World' (co-edited with Kumiko Makino, Edward Elgar, 2009), 'The State and NGOs: Perspective from Asia' (edited, Institute of Developing Economies, 2002), and 'Cooperation and Community in Rural Thailand: An Organizational Analysis of Participatory Rural Development' (2021). Additional significant contributions include 'Why Did They Rise Up? The Local Reality of the Farmers’ Movement in 1970s Thailand' (2021), 'Development and Institutionalization of Communitarian Thought in Thailand' (2013), 'Publicness and Taken-for-granted Knowledge: A Case Study of Communal Land Formation in Rural Thailand' (2007), and 'Organizational Capability of Local Societies in Rural Development: A Comparative Study of Microfinance Organizations in Thailand and the Philippines' (2006). Shigetomi has led KAKENHI-funded projects, such as a study on 1970s Thai peasant movements (2012-2016) and comparative local governance in Asia (2016-2020), advancing understanding of participatory development and civil society dynamics in developing contexts.