Hiroyuki Ukeda
Director, Center for International Exchange
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences/College of Arts and Sciences
The University of Tokyo
The first Owada Chair was held in hybrid format at Leiden University on Tuesday, 24 May, and Wednesday, 25 May 2022 after two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the first day, there was a commemorative lecture by Prof. Owada, and a keynote lecture by international political scientist Prof. Dominique Moïsi (King’s College, London), and based on the contents of these lectures, a discussion seminar by students, and a seminar in which professors from both universities participated were held on the following day.
Commemorative Speech by Prof. Hisashi Owada
On the first day, Rector Hester Bijl, Leiden University delivered an opening address on the significance of the Owada Chair in the current situation where the foundations of world order are at stake, exemplified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The speech was followed by a video message from President Teruo Fujii, the University of Tokyo, who spoke about the benefits of strengthening relations in the fields of humanities and social sciences with Leiden University, so that Japan can learn from the historical experiences of the Netherlands. In the commemorative lecture given by Prof. Owada, Prof. Owada first discussed the history, significance and challenges of international law from the establishment of the sovereign state system. He then continued to explain the need for an interdisciplinary approach to contribute to world peace and prosperity in the 21st century, as neither idealism in pursuit of governance based on universal international norms nor realism in search of conditions to establish a balance among powerful entities is appropriate. It is intended that the chair will contribute to this new concept. In the proceeding keynote lecture, “Emotions in International Politics”, Prof. Moïsi discussed the increasing importance of emotions in international relations, and gave several examples to demonstrate that emotions cannot be grasped by rational human images, especially negative emotions such as fear and humiliation, which are the cause of social division and conflict in many parts of the world. In the afternoon session, Dean Takumi Moriyama, College of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo, suggested that an anthropological approach of immersing oneself in the unknown ‘outside’ to relativize one’s own values and norms, and to gain empathic understanding of others could also be effective in solving international conflicts. Students and professors in the audience, and online participants actively raised questions to Professors Moïsi and Owada throughout the session.
Speech by Dean, Prof. Takumi Moriyama
The following day, in the morning session, students from both universities participated in the discussion seminar. In the first half (1 hour 30 minutes), Dr Hilde van Meegdenburg and Dr Vineet Thakur, Leiden University, made interesting comments on Prof. Moïsi’s lecture, relating to the origins of emotions, the difficulty of separating rationality and emotion, the danger of stereotyping certain regions and the treatment of colonialism. This was followed by a Q&A session between participating students from both universities and Professors Moïsi and Owada. In the second half (1 hour 15 minutes), unlike the first half, participating students from Leiden University were limited to master’s students, and there was a lively exchange of views between the students from both universities and Professors Moïsi and Owada on balancing research and practice. In the afternoon, three faculty members from both universities – Dr Vineet Thakur and Dr Karen Smith, Leiden University, and Dr Tomohiro Baji, the University of Tokyo, organized a seminar titled “International Relations and Race.” Important points about the close association of racism with the origins of international relations were raised, with reference to case studies of Japan and the Netherlands (South Africa), both of which once had colonies. Afterwards, there was a Q&A session between participating students and the faculty.
Master Class with Prof. Hisashi Owada and Prof. Dominique Moïsi
Online Seminar ‘International Relations and Race’
The schedule of the first Owada Chair did not allow much time for student discussion, and most students from the University of Tokyo participated online — these points were perhaps unsatisfactory considering the aim of the chair, which is to provide the younger generation with opportunities to challenge themselves. However, the chair has overall been a success in that we were able to share the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary approach with Leiden University, which is known for its research in international and regional law, and attracts international students from all over the world.
Links:
Programme for Inauguration and Seminars (24-25 May, 2022)
Commemorative speech by Prof. Hisashi Owada
Text of Prof. Dominique Moïsi’s inauguration speech
The opening events can be viewed from the following website:
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2022/05/owada-chair-inaugural-lecture
