Kumakura, Wakako
Faculty of Economics Professor
Graduate School of Economics Professor
Research Overview
My research interests lie in the relationship between the natural environment and human activities. I have explored how humans have historically utilized the environment and developed the institutions and administrative structures to manage it. Simultaneously, I focus on the processes of environmental change and the ways in which human societies have adapted to these transformations. To pursue these questions, my work has primarily centered on the history of land tenure and irrigation systems in the Nile Valley. Starting with an analysis of the transition in land and water management systems from the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517) to the Ottoman period, my research has expanded to cover a broader pre-modern era, utilizing primary sources such as Ottoman court records (sijill) and irrigation registers. In recent years, I have also addressed how the economic frameworks established under Islamic dynasties transformed during the onset of the modern era. Methodologically, I combine the close reading of primary sources—including manuscripts and archival documents—with spatial analysis using GIS, the construction of historical databases, and the reconstruction of networks involving individuals, institutions, and infrastructure through Digital Humanities (DH) approaches. Through these integrated methods, I strive to reconstruct a multi-layered vision of history. Please also visit my Academia.edu page: https://tufs.academia.edu/WakakoKumakura
Specialty
Economic and environmental history of the Middle East and North Africa region