Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/47561

The aim of this paper is to clarify my concept of the Grass-roots Culture, cultural expressions which are deeply rooted in the situation of a time and place. Artists of the Grass-roots Culture notice the sights, sounds and experiences of everyday life and use them as source materials. They find value in what we overlook, in what is too ordinary and too close at hand for us to pay attention to. The power of arts to cultivate new meanings and change the perception of surroundings is mobilized through the Grass-roots Culture for the enrichment of everyday life. Under this concept, I try to see cultural trends such as Community-based art, Folklore, DIY Punks and so on from a common viewpoint and evaluate their significance in the current social context. Particularly its potentiality to inspire confidence and shape the identity of socially and economically deprived people is taken into consideration.