Asian Studies

Learning in Asian Studies

In this field of “Area Studies” Asia is the focus of research. “Area Studies” originates from an interest in a specific region and is a discipline that closely investigates contemporary world issues related to that region. The concept of “Asia” is quite broad, but the Asian domain in the FGS primarily covers the countries and regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia in its classes and research scope. Starting from a simple curiosity about the people and societies of Asia and a desire to know more about our neighbors in Asia, we explore themes such as development, poverty, cultural heritage, education, religious transformations, environment, conflict and peace, popular culture, and so on. By traversing through various academic disciplines such as history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and sociology, we deepen our understanding of Asia and seek to understand how the concept of “global” appears from this perspective.

Sophia University and Asian Studies

The reason for establishing “Asian Studies” as one of the domains of the Faculty of Global Studies reflects Sophia University’s strong emphasis on its relationship with Asia and its high expectations and intentions for students to become part of Asia through learning and experiences.

An important hub for Jesuit Asia Studies

Example of Asian Studies

Every faculty member in the field of “Asian Studies” has extensively travelled around particular regions and countries cultivating relationships with the people who live there.

Regarding Academic Fields

Research Example in the Field – Associate Professor Kwon Hyang Suk

Exploring the globalization of East Asia through human migration

Why do people migrate? This seemingly simple question is often considered to have an equally simple answer, but when you try to explore the answer, you realize that it is by no means simple at all. The phenomenon of people migrating itself has been a universal one since the dawn of time regardless of era or region; a phenomenon embedded in many cultures. [Photo: Panel painting (1.7m×22m) at the Chinese Korean Ethnic Hundred Years Village Customs Exhibition Hall in Tumen City near the China-North Korea border, depicting the migration process and cultural characteristics of Chinese Koreans (provided by Mr. Kim Kyung-Nam)]

I have been particularly interested in the past and present circumstances of the Chinese Korean community, which is known for its high mobility within East Asia. The Korean community, originating as migrants from the Korean Peninsula, has not only established itself as a minority ethnic group in China but has also built its own unique community. Since the “Reform and Opening Up” policy, they have increasingly moved from rural areas to cities, as well as abroad, including to South Korea and Japan.

Therefore, I am advancing my research by interviewing returnees who have worked and engaged in business overseas, as well as those who, after studying in Japan, have become active experts in their field and are working throughout Asia, including Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam. At first glance, they seem to be based on the different approaches of “working abroad” and “studying abroad”. However, there is a complex flow involving cross-border (trigenerational) families, where the parent generation works in Korea, and the child generation studies in Japan. This leads to re-migration and multiple consecutive migrations reflecting deeply intertwined dynamics with Asian economy. Hence, the dispersion and re-consolidation of Korean families can be seen as a touchstone of regional trends. Building on these insights, we aim to capture the region and the world from the perspectives of mobile individuals providing a comprehensive view of East Asia’s globalization and uncovering its reality.

Example of research in the field – Associate Professor Hiroko Kushimoto

Considering Education from Southeast Asia

“Schools” are now a “global” phenomenon visible across almost the entire world. However, considering that different cultures exist worldwide, should it not be obvious that the attitudes to be learned and the skills to be acquired through “education” would naturally differ? In Japanese classrooms, lessons begin with “standing and bowing” but in Islamic schools in Malaysia, lessons begin with a prayer to Allah. [Photo: Classroom scene in a religious secondary school in Malaysia]

On the one hand, there are cultural differences like this, but surprisingly, the sense of “having to pass the exam” and “needing to graduate from a good school and get a good job” is quite similar, and in some places, even more emphasis is placed on exam results than in Japan. The “school” that we imagine today was introduced as a “modern thing” after the Meiji Restoration in Japan, and during colonialization in many other Asian countries. Despite being a relatively recent phenomenon compared to cultures nurtured over long histories, it has the powerful effect of homogenizing people’s consciousness and ways of life. Considering this, the global phenomenon of “school” appears very strange. As a research theme in Malaysian Islamic education, utilizing the fields of cultural anthropology and comparative education studies, I have been staying in Malaysia for over ten years researching the cultures of teaching and learning Islam. From there, looking at “modern school education” as a global phenomenon, it has become clear that our current way of thinking and values are greatly influenced by this. From here, I am pondering what our “education” is constrained by and how we can design education that is more free and truly empowering for everyone.