Date:December 3, 2008 (Thu.) 18：00～20：00
Venue: AA447, Research Building No.2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University
Presentation:
・Kaoru Sugihara (Professor, CSEAS)
・Yasushi Kosugi (Professor, ASAFAS)
・Akio Tanabe (Assosiate Professor, Institute for Research in Humanities )
・Yasushi Tonaga (Assistant Professor, ASAFAS)
Moderator:
Tatsuro Fujikura (Associate Professor, ASAFAS)
Professor Kaoru Sugihara, representing the Department of Sustainable Humanosphere, began the seminar with his presentation. He argued that with the advance of globalization, and with growth in Asian and African regions making remarkable advances recently, the traditional paradigm centered on the temperate region was no longer capable of representing the entire world. It is thus necessary, he argued, to shift the basis of the paradigm from one that is centered on the temperate region to one that is centered on the tropical region, and to shift from the “earth’s surface,” as seen in land ownership and national borders, to the “sustainable humanosphere,” which includes as subject of research all space that affects human lives.
The next presentation was given by Professor Yasushi Kosugi, representing the Department of Islamic World Studies. Looking back on his decade-long experience of graduate school education at ASAFAS, Prof. Kosugi reflected on the fact that the discipline called “area studies,” which discusses the characteristics and uniqueness of geographic areas, has gradually made a space for itself within the academic community. He further pointed out that activities at ASAFAS and KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University) have contributed to the gradual development of a foundational structure for promoting world-leading research and for facilitating studies by junior researchers. In concluding his presentation, Prof. Kosugi noted that the Division of Global Area Studies, to be initiated in the next academic year, would mark a further contribution to the field of area studies.
Associate Professor Akio Tanabe, representing the Department of South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, followed with his presentation. Associate Prof. Tanabe first introduced the situation faced in contemporary South Asia, focusing on India through the use of a diverse set of statistical data on politics, economy and society. He went on to explain that South Asia has become very dynamic due to the interactions of politics, economics, society, and thought, noting that in the future the region will play an important role in the world. Associate Prof. Tanabe then pointed out that, in the field of research as well, South Asia has produced various studies which have contributed to the benefit of the entire world. He concluded his presentation with a mention of specific cases that provide an indication of the promising future potential of South Asia studies.
Finally, Assistant Professor Yasushi Tonaga gave a presentation from the view of literature study. Specialized in the study of thought, Assistant Professor Tonaga looked back over his ten years of experience providing guidance at graduate school and listed a number of possibilities for bridging literature study and field work in area studies. He noted that for future researchers of area studies, specialization in field work alone will be insufficient, as will specialization in literature study alone. Through a presentation of specific cases and concrete evidence, Assistant Prof. Tonaga argued that the ideal researcher of area studies will be the one who “straddles” these two worlds.
Following each presentation, questions were addressed to presenters, and comments were raised regarding different regions and viewpoints concerning the vision for area studies outlined in each presentation. These questions, comments and discussions expressed great anticipation about the future of area studies to come.
(Shin Yasuda)