45th International Symposium
45th IGC-SSRI International Symposium
Addressing Microaggressions: Minority Voices and Paths to Majority Allyship

This symposium focuses on microaggressions, which have recently attracted attention as forms of discrimination hidden in everyday words and actions, and aim to shed light on their structure and impact in a sociohistorical context. In Japan in particular, some ethnic groups have been burdened with minority status due to the history of colonialism – such as Zainichi Koreans, the Ainu people, and the Okinawan and Ryukyu people – as well as those of Buraku heritage who have been subjected to structural discrimination due to other historical causes. Following a keynote speech by Professor Monnica Williams, a clinical psychologist and a leading scholar, researchers and activists will share their experiences and knowledge of microaggressions, as we explore together how best to support minorities and what the expectations are for majority allyship.

Languages: Japanese and English with simultaneous interpretation
The event will be held in person or online (via Zoom).

MORNING PROGRAM　9:30am-12:30pm
[Introduction] Dr. Makiko Deguchi (Sophia University)

[Keynote Presentation]
Microaggressions Today: Understanding Their Impact and Expanding the Research
Dr. Monnica Williams (University of Ottawa)

[Presentation]
From Awareness to Action: Addressing Microaggressions and Racialization Among Asian Americans Through a Liberating Arts Lens
Dr. Allen Kim (International Christian University)

[Comments]
Dr. Hanako Suzuki (Ritsumeikan University)


AFTERNOON PROGRAM 1:30pm-5:30pm
[Presentations]
Prejudice and Everyday Discrimination Resulting from Manufactured Ignorance: Microaggressions Experienced by the Ainu People
Dr. Kitahara Mokottunas (Hokkaido University)

Microaggressions Experienced by Korean-Japanese Youths
Dr. Kisa Park (Counseling and Community Center for Korean-Japanese Minorities)

Mainlander/Hondo Privilege
Ms. Hatsuho Kinjo (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)

Microaggressions beyond "Hurt Feelings": Insights from Awareness-Raising Work
Rimyong Park (HURIGHTS OSAKA)

Practicing Microaggression Consciousness-Raising through Collaborative Work: Lessons Learned from Creating the Pamphlet
Association for Toyonaka Multicultural Symbiosis Microaggression Pamphlet Working Team

Microaggressions Experienced by People from Buraku Communities and What Those on the Majority Side Can Do
Ms. Tami Kamikawa (BURAKU HERITAGE)

[Panel Discussion]
Exploring Forms of Support Provision Together: Expectations for the Majority from the Minority Perspective
Moderated by Dr. Rie Mizuki (Iryo Sosei University)

[Date] December 13 2025 9:30am-5:30pm
[Venue] 1702 International Conference Room, Building #2 17th Floor, Sophia University Yotsuya Campus
[Subjects] Open to Students, Faculty/Staff, and General Public
[Entry fee] Free (*Please sign up by noon on Dec 12)
[Sponsor] Sophia University Institute of Global Concern & International Christian UniversitySocial Science Research Institute
[Application] https://forms.gle/UiEzSPyicbccqCPP8
[Contact] i-glocon@sophia.ac.jp / 03-3238-3023

Film "Voices of the Silenced" Screening & Director Talk-Back

Eighty years have passed since the end of World War II, but unforgettable memories and records remain to this day. Director PARK Soo-nam, a second generation Zainichi Korean, has devoted her life to filming and is now 90 years old with a collection of 16mm films that she has been shooting for the last four decades. These films include Korean victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, former Korean conscripted workers forcibly taken to Nagasaki's Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), Korean ex-servicemen of the Battle of Okinawa, and women known as 'comfort women' who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. Voices of the Silenced was completed by Director PARK Maeui, the daughter of Director PARK Soo-nam, who started the restoration work to “preserve the precious testimonies” and it has been received well at numerous film festivals. In this premier screening event, which precedes nationwide theatrical release, we will have time set aside after the screening to listen to the two directors' stories and to reflect on what the film means today and the message it leaves behind for the next generation.

CO-DIRECTORS:
- PARK Soo-nam
- PARK Maeui

MODERATOR:
- Kwon Hyangsuk: Associate Professor, Sophia University Faculty of Global Studies; Deputy Director, Sophia University Institute of Global Concern

LANGUAGES:
- Film in Japanese & Korean
- Subtitles in Japanese & English
*Flyer in Japanese only

[Date] Saturday, June 28, 2025; 2:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Doors open at 2 p.m.)
[Venue] Room 101, Building No. 6, Sophia University Yotsuya Campus
[Subjects] Open to Students, Faculty/Staff, and General Public
[Entry fee] Free (*Please sign up by June 26)
[Sponsor] Sophia University Institute of Global Concern
[Cooperation] Sophia University Institute of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies
[Application] https://forms.gle/ydNJj6RX8ZaRSSQM7
[Contact] i-glocon@sophia.ac.jp

Temporary Office Closure: 11:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025

Our office will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025.