EVENT

Thursday, 22 May, 13:00–14:30 JST

This lecture will argue that the Hebrew Bible contains different views on nature and the environment, especially in relation to the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and its capital Jerusalem in 587 BCE. This event triggered different discourses of crisis management that will be analyzed with the help of a German sociologist Armin Steil who distinguishes three attitudes toward crisis also found in the Hebrew Bible: 1) The prophetic attitude: belief that crisis will lead to a new creation with harmony between humans, nature, and animals; 2) The mandarin attitude: view of disasters as divine punishment without much interest in the environment; and 3) The priestly attitude: construction of a mythic past that offers rituals for the present with interest in the place of humans in their environment. The last discourse offers an important reflection about a possible harmony between all beings.

Friday, 12 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

This presentation introduces a collaborative project to analyse the recently implemented MEXT policy reforms concerning English language education in Japanese schools. We will examine the stated aims of the reforms, their pedagogical soundness, implications for identity formation, as well as their likelihood of success.

Thursday, 11 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

Much like our own lives, the lives of words reflect complex and dynamic trajectories. In this talk, Dr. Jieun KIAER draws on her book Translingual Words (2019) to reevaluate the lives of English words, where lexical innovation has become an increasingly dynamic and interactive process with ordinary people at the helm.

Wednesday, 10 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

Featuring several distinct scripts, the Japanese writing system provides rich opportunities for the creation of meaning beyond the bare meaning of a text. In this talk, Prof. Sven OSTERKAMP evaluates how historically script choice once correlated with language choices, as well as with the intellectual context of both texts and authors.

Tuesday, 9 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

This talk demonstrates how speakers linguistically enact innovative identities despite restrictions that may be imposed by linguistic form. Prof. NAKAMURA Momoko's analysis of Japanese gendered first-person pronouns shows that while they maintain can reinforce patriarchical and heteronormative standards, some Japanese girls also utilize masculine pronouns to perform novel identities.

Monday, 8 November 2021, Available from 3:00pm

What impact has the coronavirus crisis had on society and on universities, and where should we go from here? Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, two important partners, discuss these issues.

Monday, 8 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

This talk by Prof. SADANOBU Toshiyuki (Kyoto University) sheds light on a hidden connection between language and identity by focusing on “kyara,” an aspect of the self that changes according to the situation. He concludes that we should utilize “kyara” to go beyond the limitation of intention-based view of human social behaviors including language.

Monday, 1 November 2021, Available from 5:00pm

This panel discussion will examine the history of eugenics in modern Japan as well as its local and global legacies. The panel will feature presentations on topics such as reproductive rights, media discourse around violent acts, and forced sterilization, followed by a discussion about the future implications of eugenics in Japan’s past and present.

Monday, 25 October 2021, Available from 5:00pm

What impact has the coronavirus crisis had on society and on universities, and where should we go from here? Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, two important partners, discuss these issues.

Available on October 20 2021 17:00

In this dialogue, two medical specialists from France and Japan will reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the strengths and weaknesses of their respective medical systems and discuss how, from the institutional and personnel perspective, to be better prepared for the possible future health crisis.　

Monday, 18 October, 2021 14:00-15:30 (JST)

What new insights have been gained in Australian Indigenous research through the addition of female and Japanese perspectives? In this event three Japanese women researchers talk about their experiences in the field and discuss the influence of their positionality on their research and analysis.

Wednesday, 13 October 2021, 10:00-11:30am (CEST) / 5:00-6:30pm（JST）

The excellence of French mathematics has long been recognized. Based on a vast corpus of career and publication data, we will explain the reasons from a sociological perspective.

Tuesday, 12 October 2021, 4:00-6:00PM

What are the challenges facing the environment? One of the main research themes we pursue at Tokyo College is the “Earth and Society in 2050.” We invite everyone to join Tokyo College researchers to think through these questions and themes with SAITO Kohei, author of the best-selling book “Das Kapital" in Anthropocene (2020).