9月1日から9月7日まで、京論壇2021の参加者は一週間のオンラインディスカッションを行いました。一週間のオンライン議論の実態はどうだろう、東大の学生と北京大の学生の間にどんな化学反応が起こっているだろう、コロナの時期でどうやって国際交流を実現できるだろう。この記事は東大側メンバーの参加感想をシェアしていきたいと思います。
【Norika Sugawara】 (Power and Discourse section)
In Beijing session, we analyzed the discourse hidden in culture and gender.
Each language has a different way of expression, and we are constrained by the way we think in our native language. As for gender, we are internalizing gender stereotypes due to the influence of advertisements and media that are overflowing in the world. We discussed what the values we usually accept are defined and we were able to recognize the invisible power that constructs our thinking. In the next Tokyo session, we will move to the big theme of SNS and propaganda, and I would like to face this topic, which is often sensitive, and deepen mutual understanding with Chinese students.
【Haruki Maruyama】 (Power and Discourse section)
It was very interesting to hear the opinions from the Beijing side. They had a very in depth knowledge about themselves and their culture. On the other hand, I felt that I don't have enough knowledge about my own culture, and I felt it necessary to try harder to explain my own ideas and values. Also, it was surprising to know that we shared a similar value among many topics despite our different backgrounds (This is probably because we are all from the same generation.) During the Tokyo session, we want to focus more on the subtle differences between our values and the underlying cultural background that causes such differences.
【Miyu Takazawa】 （Consumer Culture section）
If we can't understand each other's values even with our own families, how can we truly understand others who have different cultures, backgrounds, and education? However, as I talked with my teammates from morning till late at night every day for about a week in the Beijing session, I was convinced that we could come closer to understanding each other step by step. By repeatedly asking questions about seemingly unacceptable ideas, the meanings of the other person's words were clarified, and by learning the background to the formation of their opinions, I realized that we often actually share the same awareness of the issues. I thought that discussing values means to understand the other person as much as possible and to find a point of consensus, by listening to what the other person wants to say and keeping talking in order to share one’s worldview.
【Zijing Li】 （Consumer Culture section）
It has been a precious experience and a wonderful journey for me to participate in the Jing forum 2021. In the Beijing session, delegates from UTokyo and PKU discussed consumerism-related topics ranging from emotional economy to anti-consumerism, which provides me a more comprehensive understanding of how different people interpret contemporary consumerism. Furthermore, during this conference, not only have I had in-depth conversations with students from various cultural and educational backgrounds, but also I have expanded my knowledge scope so that I can perceive this world from multiple angles. Anyway, I really appreciated this opportunity and I am looking forward to the Tokyo session in February along with heated discussions.
【Arihiro Oki 】（Public Policy section）
I think main harvest from the Beijing session was that I was able to know how Chinese students perceive society. Japan and China have very different social systems, which is why they are often referred to as "near but far neighbour“. Therefore, I feel that it was very valuable and meaningful that I had the opportunity to interact with Chinese students in real time, even though it was online, and to shorten the distance from our "near but far neighbour".
Although it was very difficult to discuss the topic of "public policy and justice" under the premise of each other's vastly different social systems and common sense, in the end, I think we were able to transcend our social differences and have a discussion based on a common perspective and understanding. I would like to make further preparations for the Tokyo session in order to deepen our discussions.
【Karin Ryu】 （Public Policy section）
Due to the pandemic, we were not able to meet off-line, but I am glad that we were able to discuss online from China, America, and Japan instead. Because the participating members were so diverse, we could deepen our understanding of our theme, "Public Policy and Justice," from a global perspective.
Generally, when we talk about "mutual understanding," we tend to focus on our differences, but I think we found rather a lot of common ground.
We all need a Justice, we all think about the Justice, we all have our own Justice, just like our ancestor did. Even though we reach to different values and justice, the underlying desire had no difference, and that’s why we put Justice as our theme.
Our goal is to tackle the endless question “What is Justice?”, and see what kind of justices are behind the policies, and find a better Justice for them.
