Our International Reconciliation Studies project has been selected for the JSPS KAKENHI” program. The historical memory issues that East Asia has long faced are now linked to colonial legacies, race, the treatment of Indigenous peoples, and past massacres and human rights violations, making them a global challenge that extends well beyond the region.
Drawing on East Asian experience, the project aims to connect reconciliation studies with problems emerging in other regions and develop it into a body of knowledge that can withstand international scrutiny. Nurturing young scholars who will lead this new field is a central pillar of our work. From a range of academic perspectives, we examine five clusters of emotionally charged conflicts through three layers of analysis. By focusing on memory and emotion, long treated as “subjective factors,” we create a space for discussion in which early-career researchers can gain fresh perspectives free from existing disciplinary frameworks.
The project’s Principal Investigator brings practical experience, including service as a materials committee member for the Asian Women’s Fund, as well as research appointments at Harvard University and the University of Jena, and has played a central role in international networks on historical memory issues in East Asia. If you are interested, especially if you are an early-career researcher, please get in touch.
Written by Kosei SATO