Muratsu’s book, “Demons of the Gulf of Guinea: Ethnography of Affect and Possession in Christian New Religions” (『ギニア湾の悪魔―キリスト教系新宗教をめぐる情動と憑依の民族誌』published by Sekai Shiso-sha in January 2023), won the 51th Shibusawa Prize. This award is presented to young researchers for outstanding achievements in the fields of ethnology, cultural anthropology, social anthropology, and other disciplines broadly focused on the study of human cultures. It was established in 1963 to commemorate the Asahi Prize awarded to Keizo Shibusawa (a grandson of Eiichi Shibusawa), a businessperson and significant contributor to the development of Japanese folklore and cultural anthropology.
The award ceremony was held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at the Japan Industrial Club.
For details on the reasons for the award, please refer to the website of the Shibusawa Ethnology Promotion Fund. (only in Japanese)