41th International Symposium
The 41st IGC-SSRI Joint International Symposium "Understanding Microaggressions in the Japanese Context: Implications and Interventions for Social Change"

Microaggressions are seemingly innocent everyday slights and indignities that have lasting consequences on the well-being of target group members. Microaggressions in Everyday Life, the first book to systematically introduce this concept has been translated into Japanese and is now accessible to readers of Japanese. In this symposium, North American scholars who are at the forefront of microaggression research will talk about the latest research developments and ways of reducing microaggressions, and in the afternoon sessions, Japanese researchers and anti-discrimination activists will discuss the implications of microaggressions in the context of Japanese society.


Day 1: December 4th (Opening Day)

Morning Session:


Keynote Presentation:

Microaggressions from Chester Pierce to Contemporary Theory and Research

Dr. Lisa Spanierman, Head of the Faculty of Counseling and Counseling Psychology and Associate Dean in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University


Presentation 1:

Implications for translating Microaggression in Everyday Life for Japanese society

Wooja Kim, Associate professor in the College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University (involved in translating Microaggressions in Everyday Life)



Afternoon Session:

Presentation 2:

Types of Microaggression Experiences

Park Ki-sa, Park Ri-myon, Members of the translation team for “Microaggressions in everyday life”


Presentation 3:

Microaggressions Experienced by Buraku Ancestry

Tami Kamikawa ( Buraku Heritage）


Presentation 4:

The forefront of gender bias research

Dr. Yasuko Morinaga, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor


Closing Remarks:

Dr. Ribeiro Dilton (ICU SSRI)




Day 2: December 5th (Second Day)

Morning Session:


Keynote Presentation:

Reducing Microagressions: Research on Interventions and Promoting Interracial Harmony

Dr. Monnica Williams, Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa


Presentation 1:

The importance of people in dominant groups to understand microaggressions

Dr. Tadashi Nakamura,Professor of clinical sociology, Human Science-Graduate School, Ritsumeikan University (Involved in translating Microaggressions in Everyday Life)



Afternoon Session:

Presentation 2:

Backstory of why the book was translated: To overcome microaggression experienced by Zainichi Koreans and to engage in respectful racial dialogue between Japanese and Zainichi Koreans

Park Ki-sa, Shunsuke Maruichi (Head of ZAC)


Presentation 3:

Microaggressions Experienced by X-gender (Non-binary) People

Jun Nakajima (NPO LGBT families & friends, Rainbow Sumida)


Presentation 4:

Microaggressions Experienced by People of “Mixed-Roots”

Julian Keane（Showa Women’s University ）


Closing Remarks:
Dr. Christopher Bondy (ICU SSRI, Senior Associate Professor of Sociology)

[Date] [DAY 1] December 4th, 2021 (Saturday) 9:30 ~ 16:10 (9:30 a.m. ~ 4:10 p.m.) [DAY 2] December 5th, 2021 (Sunday) 9:30 ~ 16:00 (9:30 a.m. ~ 4:00 p.m.)
[Venue] IGC Online （using Zoom）
[Subjects] Participation is open to anyone. Please sign up via the URL in this post by: December 1st, 2021
[Entry fee] Free
[Sponsor] Institute of Global Concern (IGC), Sophia University
[Co-Sponsor] Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), International Christian University
[Application] Sign Up form URL: https://forms.gle/MDnmXvpZxZTo1pxd6
[Contact] i-glocon@sophia.ac.jp