2018/7/31
On July 14, the second session of the Faculty of Letters Public Lecture Series "The Faculty of Letters as a Bridge," titled "Connecting with Others," was held in Classroom 519 of the West School Building on Mita Campus as an endowed lecture by Kyokuto Securities Co., Ltd. Following an address by Professor Yoshimitsu Matsuura, Dean of the Faculty of Letters, and an introductory explanation by Professor Yuko Mio of the Major in Sociology, Professor Ikuya Tokoro, an alumnus of the Faculty of Letters who now teaches at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, gave a lecture.
The purpose of the lecture was to consider the diverse ways of "connecting with others" from a broad perspective. First, Professor Tokoro explained "connecting with others who are not 'here and now,'" using the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, his field of study, as an example. Next, he discussed "connecting with others who no longer exist (the dead)," using examples such as ancestor worship in Bali, China, and Okinawa, and the personal accounts of disaster victims in the Tohoku region, all explained with a wealth of materials.
In the latter half of the lecture, animals, natural objects, and artificial objects were discussed as "non-human others." The meaning and possibilities of "connecting with these non-human others" were examined, drawing on insights from history, biology, and computer science.
After the lecture, a lively exchange of opinions took place with the audience. In response to the question, "What are others?," it was pointed out that the definitions of "others" and "self" may change over time. There were also questions, such as why Professor Tokoro decided to pursue cultural anthropology at the Faculty of Letters, and the second session of the public lecture series concluded on a high note.