Redefining Boundaries and Conviviality: Nationality, Body, Gender and Sexuality

What is a "boundary"? How are "boundaries" drawn? And how can we explore what might appear to be its opposing idea, coexistence or social inclusion, which we refer to here as "conviviality"?

If a national border is one type of boundary, then the number of people who cross this boundary is increasing worldwide. Japan is certainly no exception. The number of foreign visitors continues to increase, and according to the Immigration Bureau it is much greater than 10 years ago. Moreover, the Japanese government has endeavored to welcome short-term visitors, as evidenced by the enactment of the Tourism Nation Promotion Act.
However, the polysemy of the term "boundary" should also be considered, as it is not only exemplified by national borders. A critical analysis is required of the different boundaries that continue to be drawn today, as well as the exclusions that they give rise to. Discriminatory or hateful remarks against a specific group are an example of exclusion stemming from boundaries.

These diverse boundaries are not limited to special contexts. They can also be detected right under our noses, in familiar places like universities. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has attempted to cross national borders in their promotion of the "300,000 International Students Plan." However, it must also be noted that the institutions and norms associated with study abroad programs can lead to a new kind of boundary. The internalized norms in the university system can generate new boundaries (actually very frequently) and place restrictions on an individual's life and existence.
Thus, boundaries that divide individuals from each other and from their community can be found in a diverse range of forms and contexts. Our 10th anniversary symposium, "Redefining Boundaries and Conviviality: Nationality, Body, Gender and Sexuality," will debate these ideas of "boundaries" and "conviviality" from the perspectives of nationality, body, gender and sexuality.

The symposium will consist of three sessions on November 23, 2014. The first session, "Reframing Conflicts: Approaching Racism from the Perspective of Gender and Sexuality," will explore the increasing visibility of racism and hate-speech in Japan from a gender and sexuality perspective. The second session, "The Marginalization of the Body: International Students and the Absent Debate on Gender and Sexuality," will discuss how the norms and institutions of gender and sexuality impact the daily lives, thoughts and emotions of international students in Japan. The final session aims to widen the debate through an open-floor discussion of the interdisciplinary issues and insights from the previous sessions. In addition, we also hope that participants' insights will help us to address specific issues of discrimination and exclusion on our campus so that ICU can live up to its claim to be "a global-standard institution of higher education."