International Symposium 'Global Youth Dynamics and 'Reality' Negotiation in East Africa and South Asia: Gender, Diversity, Agency'
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International Symposium 'Global Youth Dynamics and 'Reality' Negotiation in East Africa and South Asia: Gender, Diversity, Agency'
Date/Time: Sat Nov 18 2023 10:00 ~ 18:00
Venue: Medium Conference Room at the Administration Building, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
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Theme
This symposium focuses on youth ethnographically and seeks to examine, with an intersectional lens, how young people, in Eastern Africa and South Asia, understand their social world through their multiple identities -gender, caste, region, language, and nation - as well as their individual aspirations, desires, and choices. It also seeks to compare the structural factors that act as barriers to their mobility as well as identify the strategies and pathways that individuals develop for change. Through such an approach that focuses on both structure and agency, we aim to arrive at a broader understanding of the issues at hand in vastly different terrains and social communities.
The symposium seeks to address some pertinent questions: How do patriarchy, kinship, lack of (higher) education, unemployment, insecurity, and social and cultural inequalities common to these regions confront young people? How do they cope with the complexities and challenges they may encounter in their diverse social and cultural contexts? What forces compel them to make difficult choices for change? What new forms does their agency take?
We are especially interested in contributions that focus on gender, religion, and diversity with particular attention to agency. The diverse geographical sites and socio-political contexts will enrich our understanding of the themes through multiple social and regional perspectives. We hope this symposium will further enable us to arrive at a nuanced understanding of youth in diverse settings and provide a comparative background to anthropological youth studies.
Program
※ Each Presentation 30mins + Questions and Answers for 10mins.
- DAY 1 (Saturday, Nov. 18th)
11:00–12:30 Casual Lunch Meeting (mainly for Young Scholars including Graduate Students)
12:30–13:00 Registration
13:00–13:10 Opening Remarks & Introduction (Wakana Shiino & Kazuyo Minamide)
13:10–13:50 Prof. Marie Lall: The Effects of Hindu Nationalism on Indian Universities; Students in the Eye of the Storm
13:50–14:30 Dr. Jane Dyson: The Contradictions of Prefigurative Politics: Rajput Young Women’s Everyday Activism in Himalayan India
14:30–14:40 Tea Break
14:40–15:20 Dr. Nirmala Ranasinghe: Can Tourism be a Powerful Life Strategy?: Through the Narratives of Young Men in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
15:20–16:00 Mr. Takuya Hagiwara: Is Competitive Sport a Career-building Force for Kenyan Youth?: Structured Athletic Environment and Dynamics of Embodied Agency for Social Mobility
16:00–16:40 Dr. Kinyua Laban Kithinji: Contesting the State? Digital Media Platforms as Spaces of Refuge, Safety Nets, and Justice-Seeking in Kenya
16:40–16:50 Tea Break
16:50–17:10 Comments by Discussants
(South Asia) Prof. Fumiko Oshikawa, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
(Africa) Dr. Eri Hashimoto, Associate Professor, Rikkyo University
18:00– Dinner - DAY 2 (Sunday, Nov. 19th)
9:40–10:00 (Venue Open)
10:00–10:40 Dr. Piotr Cichocki: The Reality Negotiations in the Collaborative Process of Local Music Making. The Case of Youth from Mzuzu, Malawi
10:40–11:20 Dr. Constance Mudondo: Navigating Market Terrain as Novices: Empowering Female Young Graduates of a Tailoring Course in Uganda
11:20–11:30 Coffee Break
11:30–12:10 Dr. Tomoyuki Chaya: Urban Slum Youth and the Significance of Secondary Education in Contemporary India: Cultivation of Perception of Self-image
12:10–13:30 LUNCH
13:30–14:10 Dr. Wakana Shiino: Female 'Youth' ‘s Choice for Their Survival: Being a Housegirl in Kenya or the Middle East
14:10–14:50 Dr. Kazuyo Minamide: “Probashir Bou (Migrant's Wives)” in a Rural Bangladesh Village: Waiting and Recreating New Family Lives
14:50–15:00 Coffee Break
15:00–15:20 Comments by Discussants
(Africa) Dr. Soichiro Shiraishi, Associate Professor, Hirosaki University
(South Asia) Prof. Tatsuya Yamamoto, Professor, Shizuoka University
15:20–16:00 General Discussion for two days
16:00–16:10 Closing Remarks
Presenters
South Asia
Prof. Marie Lall: Professor and Chair of Education and South Asian Studies at the UCL Institute of Education
Dr. Jane Dyson: Associate Professor in Human Geography, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne
Dr. Nirmala Ranasinghe: Associate Professor, Faculty of Regional Creation, Nara Prefectural University
Dr. Tomoyuki Chaya: Lecturer, Graduate School of Education, Hyogo University of Teacher Education
Dr. Kazuyo Minamide: Associate Professor, Department of English, Kobe College
Africa
Mr. Takuya Hagiwara: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, Toyo University
Dr. Kinyua Laban Kithinji: Researcher, Institute of Asian Cultures, Sophia University
Dr. Piotr Cichocki: Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw
Dr. Constance Mudondo: Lecturer, Makerere University
Dr. Wakana Shiino: Associate Professor, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
For details, please see here.
Language: English
Admission: Free
Pre-registration is required.
For registration, please see here. Registration deadline is 10th Nov.
Note: Please encourage younger scholars including graduate students and PhD candidates to attend the casual lunch meeting on Saturday. It will be a great opportunity for their networking across areas of study.
Cohosted by:
ILCAA, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) “Youth Strategies and Social Transformation under Uncertainty in South Asia” (Project number: 21H03715), TUFiSCo
Sponsored by:
African Studies Center - TUFS
For the latest information, please refer to the following link.
http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/en/event/upcoming#29649