Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that the 34th ICU-Sophia symposium will be held at Dialogue House, International Christian University on Saturday December 20. The title of the symposium,organized by the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) of ICU and the Institute for Global Concern (IGC) of Sophia University, is Beyond Nationalism? Religion and Peacebuilding in Asia.

The keynote speakers are Prof. Sudipta Kaviraj (Columbia University), Prof. Shin Chiba (ICU) and Prof.
Koichi Nakano (Sophia). For more details including a full program, please see here:
http://ssri-igc.com/?lang=en

Title: Beyond Nationalism? Peacebuilding and Religion in Asia

Date and Time: 10:30- 17:30, Saturday December 20 2014

Venue: International Conference Room, Kiyoshi Togasaki
Memorial Dialogue
House, International Christian University (ICU) http://www.icu.ac.jp/en/about/access/index.htm

http://www.icu.ac.jp/en/about/campus/index.html

Sponsors: Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), ICU, Tokyo, Japan.

Co-sponsors: Institute for Global Concern (IGC), Sophia University

Link: http://ssri-igc.com/

Language: English and Japanese (simultaneous translation available)

Conference Abstract:

The centenary commemorations of the First World War serve as a stark reminder of the perils of nationalism which have as yet remained unheeded throughout Asia. In a lecture given in Japan as the war unfolded, the Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore criticized the nation-state and offered a vision of a society independent of it. The twentieth century, however, saw a proliferation of nationalist ideology throught the region and the establishment of an international society of nation-states. In recent years, the revival of nationalism, which had previously remained dormant since the Second World War, has threatened peace and stability in the region, most notably in the dispute over the Daiyou/Senkaku islands.
This symposium, the 34th joint symposium held by SSRI and the Institute for Global Concern (Sophia University), will seek to critically interrogate the prospects for peace in Asia by posing the following
question: What can be done to counter the rise of nationalism within Asia and what role, if any, can inter-faith dialogue play in peacebuilding in the region?

Speakers:

Keynotes:
Prof. Sudipta Kaviraj (Professor, Columbia University) Prof. Shin Chiba (Professor, ICU) Prof. Koichi Nakano (Professor, Sophia University)

Presenters:
Prof. Jun-Heok Kwak (Associate Professor, Songsil University, Republic of Korea) Prof. Atsuko Ichijo (Associate Professor, Kingston University, UK) Prof. Kosuke Shimizu (Professor, Ryukoku University) Prof. Takeshi Deguchi (Associate Professor, University of Tokyo)

All are welcome. No prior registration necessary.
To reserve a seat, please contact SSRI at:
ssri@icu.ac.jp

Best wishes,

Giorgio Shani
--

Giorgio Shani PhD (London)
Director, Social Science Research Institute, Associate Director of the Rotary Peace Center, Senior Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, International Christian University,
3-10-2 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8585, Japan
Tel: +81 (0)422-33-3708, Fax: +81 (0)422-33-3229 http://researchers.icu.ac.jp/Profiles/6/0000527/prof_e.
html
http://icu.academia.edu/GiorgioShani

Region President, Asia-Pacific,
International Studies Association
http://www.isanet.org/ISA/Regions/AsiaPacific.aspx

New Book: Religion, Identity and Human Security (Routledge 2014) http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415509060/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B001HP3QB2
http://www.amazon.co.jp/-/e/B001HP3QB2