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Salon-Discussion with Prof. Atsushi Shibasaki
On 29 February 2024, Atsushi Shibasaki, Professor at the Faculty of Global Media Studies and Dean of the Graduate School of Global Media at Komazawa University in Tokyo, presented his latest research and his new book "Thought and Behaviour on the Idea of Global Relations – Towards a Study into the World Full of ‘Encounters with the Unknown’" at the Institute for European Global Studies.
Prof. Shibasaki offered insights into his intellectual development and career as a scholar of international and global cultural relations. As a former visiting fellow at the Institute for European Global Studies, he has long-standing links with the Institute. In his talk, he reflected on his early interest in US-Japan relations, his work on international cultural relations and Japan in the 1930s and 40s, and on Japanese neo-Kantian Philosophy. This had developed into a deeper investigation of the idea of the ‘international’ and the study of global cultural relations. The ensuing discussion with the audience ranged from the idea of a “world state” in the post-Cold War era to reflections on modern global societies, contemporary nationalist trends, and planetary boundaries.
Presenting his latest book, Shibasaki elaborated on his recent research on the idea of Global Relations, centered on three key concepts: “thought as a movement”, “encounters with the unknown” and a reassessment of Global Relations in relation to International Relations. The European Global Studies community showed particular interest in this last point, which is highly relevant from an interdisciplinary point of view, leading to a productive discussion on both the conceptual and practical implications of a transition from International Relations to Global Relations.
The Salon discussions serve to promote informal exchanges between guests and members and students of the Institute.
Prof. Dr. Atsushi Shibasaki is a professor at the Faculty of Global Media Studies (GMS) of Komazawa University in Tokyo. His research interests include the historical development of international cultural relations and policies in modern Japan, philosophical investigations of the making of global and international consciousness in modern Japan, as well as the theoretical analysis of the historical development of International Relations theory. Among his ongoing research subjects is the political and cultural influence of Bob Dylan. Atsushi Shibasaki has published three books and one co-edited volume in Japanese. Until September 2018, he works as a guest professor at the Institute for European Global Studies.