Dear All,

I have found this discussion quite educational and look forward to following up on some of the

materials people have offered and reflecting on the interpretations put forward.

Since I have been accused, unfortunately, of being a racist, allow me to say a word in

my defense while making clear that I do not want the discussion to deteriorate into acrimony.

I teach and discuss implicit bias in my courses and, as a white male from Alabama,

I have no doubt that the ideology of white supremacy and Eurocentric bias have

shaped my thoughts in ways that I cannot fully fathom. As an antidote to such

thinking I try to focus much of my reading on recovering subaltern knowledge

and listening to subaltern groups.

In my original post, I did mention the 'authoritarianism' of Japanese universities,

and I did provide a specific example of Toyo University. I also, however,

historically grounded my claim by discussing the crushing of the student

movement in Japan as a result of the struggle over the US-Japan security treaties.
A simple way to test this claim would be to investigate the presence of

student government associations or other evidence of student involvement in

institutional governance in Japanese universities today. If someone has evidence of student involvement

in activities such as university investment in Japan, this would certainly cause me to

rethink my view. Similarly, if someone has evidence of on-going public debates

in numerous Japanese universities that involve repeated treatment of 'taboo'

issues such as forced labor during wartime, 'comfort women' or the Emperor's

war responsibility, I would very much welcome learning about it.

Of course, outside of universities, many groups do engage in all kinds of discussions,

including those I have mentioned. They also take place, undoubtedly, within many classroom walls.
I find them disconcertingly absent from more public forums.

I actually work with groups such as WAM, the Women's Active Museum in Tokyo, Human Rights Now,
Voice Up, Japan and several others active groups, as I tried to make clear in my original post.

The focus of my original example of Toyo University should not be trivialized.
A student was threatened with expulsion simply for showing up on campus with

a political sign and handing out pamphlets.
https://www.nikkansports.com/general/nikkan/news/201901240001092.html

It happens to be a case with which I am intimately familiar. Toyo University is

certainly one of Japan's larger universities. What became apparent, however,

was that the student was not being chastised officially for the content of his protests;
rather, the university made clear that ANY form of protests that involved signs and

distributing leaflets was potentially cause for expulsion. Not a single teacher rose

in his defense, but a few days after the incident, somewhat anonymously hung a sign

that read, "Living is easy with eyes closed." I hope that if I confess that I was not surprised

by the lack of coverage of the incident in the mainstream press, this will not be perceived

as further evidence of ludicrous racism.

As I believe my post makes clear, I am working with others to organize a conference in Toyo university

that will involve activists, teachers and students speaking on all kinds of issues,

including the climate crisis. Obviously, such an activity would be impossible

within a completely totalitarian institution, so my assertion that

Japanese universities are authoritarian institution that cultivate obedience

and result in alienation obviously needs some qualification, as do all

generalizations.

If I speak of an imperialist world view that centers knowledge in

America while largely ignoring US domination and military violence holds sway in US academia,

would such a generalization also be 'ludicrous' and 'racist'? In fact, Japanese corporate and government

control over universities is impossible to ignore, however one wants to characterize such control.
Rather than unique to Japan, this should be seen, I would argue, within the trending neoliberal

transformation of education in many areas of the world.

I hope that the degradation of discourse we are increasingly witnessing--if I may generalize--- in on-line forums and in political discussions

will not finds its way into these discussions.

As I mentioned before, I hope that many of you will join me on November 23 and 24 at the 2019 International Association for Japan Studies

Conference at Toyo University to discuss these and other issues in a collegial manner, leading to hope, action and solidarity.

Please feel free to contact me at chacab@gmail.com
Charles

I have working with various environmental groups in Tokyo and
attempting to build an environmental movement in Toyo University where I
teach in the Dept. of Global Innovation Studies.


I found the discussion of Professor Jeff Broadbent interesting and
provocative.
I would like to touch upon the authoritarian aspects of Japanese
university education where students are schooled for obedience and
alienation.


At Toyo University, for example, a student was threatened with
expulsion last year for merely showing up on campus with a sign
protesting the neoliberal teaching of one of the professors in my
department.

Ever since the student revolts of the 1960s and 70s, students have
been basically forbidden any political activity. The importance of US
dominance over Japan should not be ignored. Most Japanese realize that
Japanese international relations are dictated by the US, as the removal
in 2009 of PM Hatoyama for having dared to resist the US militarization
of Okinawa reminded us. Students are led to believe that all decisions
are destined forever to be made top-down. Students are meant to take
orders from teachers, who take orders from corporations and government
officials, who take orders from the US.


Students consequently rarely complain however meaningless or absurd
the content of a particular course. They are rather encouraged to sit
quietly and demonstrate discipline. One of the metrics for measuring an
effective class is the ability of the teacher to shut down 私語, or
private discussions among students.


Professors often demonstrate the same timidity. Many appear terrified
of discussions of taboo issues, such as the Emperor's war
responsibility, the Nanking massacre, forced Korean labor or the
'comfort women'. As a consequence, universities are among the most
politically sterile of all the communities in Japan. Among various
activist groups dedicated to LGBT rights, feminism, indigenous rights or
the environment, vigorous debates occur that would be unimaginable in
universities.


Although over 7,000 universities around the world have declared
ecological and climate emergencies, in Japan I have been unable to find
a single example of similar commitment.


Although I have written a very negative assessment, I am actually
working actively to address these issues. Rather than wring our hands or
assume a position of moral superiority,

I have found some success by entering into dialog with students and
trying to remove obstacles to their taking more active control of their
education. I have found that I can serve as a conduit uniting them with
committed Japanese activists, who normalize political, ethical behavior
for them.


On November 23rd and 24,
I will be hosting a conference at Toyo University that will bring
together activists, educators and students to discuss issues of equity
and social justice. The first day will be held in accordance with a more
traditional academic conference, though we are moving to make it
bilingual this year, and I am actively working to ensure that many
activist present as well as scholars. (See attached Call For Papers)


The second day, however, is student run and student centered,
involving activist speaking on environmental issues, Okinawan rights and
feminist issues.


I have much more information, and I hope that some of you will
consider joining and bringing students with you. My feeling is that many
studnents are low risk-takers, meaning that they prefer to be active
within a similarly behaving group. This suggest that if we can achieve a
tipping point, we can expect to go from close to zero participation to
overwhelming support very quickly.


The theme of this year's event "Yonaoshi" dates fundamentally to the
Edo period. The point I want to emphasize is that, under authoritarian
Edo rule, villages revolted en mass. Individual revolts were easily
suppressed, so it made sense to rebel collectively. If this pattern
holds true today, we need to find ways to entice whole classes or
cohorts to begin taking small, low-risk steps leading toward stronger
action.


Apologies for this unduly long email. I hope interested parties will
feel free to contact me for more information

2019年9月29日(日) 15:52 SSJ-Forum Moderator <ssjmod@iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp>:

From: Earl Kinmonth <ehkuso@gmail.com>

Date: 2019/09/27


I would like to touch upon the authoritarian aspects of Japanese
university education where students are schooled for obedience and
alienation.


This is a ludicrously racist assertion.

Only a racist would generalize from one single incident to all Japanese
universities.


EHK

--

迦部留・チャールズ　博士

東洋大学

国際学部グローバルイノベーション学科（ジノス）

テ112－8606 東京都文京区白山5-28-20

+81-3-3945-4046

chacab@gmail.com

（「迦部留」をそのまま写すかどうかは人の倫理観

と関わるので有名な倫理思想の哲学者の名に

因み「カ」を書く人をカントと名付けよう。）

Charles Cabell, PhD

Department of Global Innovation (GINOS)

Faculty of Global and Regional Studies

Toyo University

5-28-20 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku

Tokyo 112-8606

Japan

+81-3-3945-4046

chacab@gmail.com