Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
The 24th Spring Conference of the Japan Society for International Development (JASID) was held on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the Akita City Cultural Creation Hall. Under the theme of “The Role of Intergenerational Ties in Sustainability,” 19 sessions were held at the conference, covering a wide range of topics including education, industrial economy, health and welfare, environment, international cooperation, culture and development, SDGs, and inner internationalization. Sessions took various forms, including plenary sessions, organized sessions, round tables, oral presentation sessions, poster presentations, and book talk sessions. From Professor Ogawa’s Seminar, four doctoral students and three master’s students, totaling seven students, presented their research findings at the poster session.
In the plenary session titled “The Role of Intergenerational Ties in Sustainability: What to Sustain, What to Revise, and What to Pass Across Generations?” held in the afternoon of the main conference, participants discussed what to sustain from a diachronic perspective including both previous and future generations. The session was led by four distinguished professors and researchers. Dr. Divine Fu, Director of the Institute of African Humanities at the University of Cape Town; Professor Hideki Maruyama from Sophia University who specializes in comparative pedagogy and non-formal education; Professor Kaeko Chiba from Akita International University, who specializes in anthropology, ikebana, and tea ceremonies; and Professor Shogo Kudo from Akita International University who is a sustainability studies specialist. In this session, participants lively discussed sustainability from various perspectives, including anthropology, education, history, and culture. On the day following the conference, an excursion was held to visit a farming village in Akita, where a satoyama-style lifestyle in harmony with nature has been inherited. This excursion offered three programs to learn about life rooted in the local climate by visiting a sake brewery, traditional thatched houses, and the Namahage Museum. It provided a valuable opportunity to think about the connection between the previous generation and the present generation.
Ogawa seminar students presented their research findings on the following topics.
The next Spring Conference of the Japan Society for International Development will be held at Utsunomiya University in June 2024.
Authored by Kaori Uchiyama
