Marie Gaboriaud - Retiring in AY2021

Looking back on my 26 years of teaching at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University, I feel that the time has passed in the blink of an eye. It is difficult to recount the many memories of the years that have gone by, and they cannot be summed up in a few words. However, what I can say for certain is that I was very happy to have been able to teach at Juku. The second foreign language classes in the Faculty of Economics require first-year students to attend three classes a week. I believe this provides a wonderful environment for students, not only for learning a language but also for meeting friends and finding a place for themselves at the university. It has been a great pleasure to teach French over the years to students in both beginner and experienced classes, as well as to students in the double degree program preparing to study abroad at Sciences Po's Le Havre campus. I have also been happy to assist students wishing to study abroad in French-speaking countries or those taking French proficiency exams such as the DELF and the "Futsu-ken." More recently, I was in charge of the "Independent Research Seminar," which is open to all students at Juku. It was very rewarding to see students enthusiastically tackle their chosen research topics and brilliantly present their findings through presentations and reports. In every class, I always learned from my students and was energized by them. For me, this is an irreplaceable and precious treasure. I am very grateful to have been able to continue my teaching and research in the liberal atmosphere of Juku. The time I spent with all the faculty and staff who always gave me their warm support will continue to be a very valuable asset to me.

Since my appointment at Juku, a very important place for me has been the library, especially the one in Mita. I remember vividly how thrilled I was when I first received my library card, went there immediately, excitedly descended to the basement, and saw for the first time the precious books waiting for readers on the shelves, accessible to everyone. The atmosphere of the Old Library, where I initially got lost and couldn't find the exit, was also memorable. Since I started working at the university, I taught classes in Mita on Thursdays, so I would go to the library almost every Thursday afternoon to work in one of the small individual study rooms (cubicles) available for faculty on the fourth floor. Looking back now, it was a very precious place, and I loved that calm space with its large desk and lamp.

As a researcher studying the local communities, particularly the village society, of the Shonai region in Yamagata Prefecture, I feel I was fortunate that the library had a collection of books and materials on this area. I was surprised and felt a sense of connection when I learned that Professor Kazusada Tanaka, a sociologist and the first director of the library, was from Tsuruoka, where I conduct my fieldwork, and that he had also studied in France.

Among my many encounters with books at the library, at the "Bakumatsu and Early Meiji Japan in Old Photographs" exhibition hosted by the Keio University Mita Media Center in 2005, a book titled "The rice in Japan" (Teijiro Takagi, 1913) was on display. I happened to see a photograph of a rural landscape from that era on an open page, which I found fascinating. This sparked my interest in Meiji-era photography. Subsequently, I became interested in how photography spread in the Shonai region, the subject of my research, and how the area was captured in photographs during the Meiji era. I conducted fieldwork and compiled my findings into a paper.

The Juku library is one of the leading university libraries in Japan, and I sincerely hope that students will realize how fortunate they are to have access to such a wonderful library and that they will encounter a variety of books there that will broaden their horizons. The Hiyoshi Campus has changed completely over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rich nature surrounding the campus remains. I can only hope that it will soon return to being a lively place filled with students' smiles, a place where people can meet, just as it was before.

(Interview conducted in January 2022)