Thursday, October 14, 2008

15:30-17:30

Note: The Japan Foundation headquarters moved to the new office. Please refer to the link below.

English (no interpretation)

If you would like to attend the seminar, please notify Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept. by October 14, 2008 with your name, affiliation, and contact information (tel., fax or e-mail).
If you would apply by e-mail, please be aware to write the name of the presenter and the date of the seminar in the title. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Tel: 03-5369-6069/ Fax: 03-5369-6041

Dr. Syed Sikander Mehdi,
Educated at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Australian National University, Canberra. Prof. Syed Sikander Mehdi is widely recognized in Pakistan and abroad as a leading peace scholar. He is a former professor and chairman of the Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, has taught peace and nonviolence for thirty five years and published his studies on Islam and peace, cooperative security in South Asia, nuclear weapons and human insecurity, peace education and refugees.
Now he is under the Japan Foundation’s Fellowship Program, researching on peace museums at Kyoto Museum for World Peace, Ritsumeikan University.

“Building Peace Museums in Pakistan: Relevance of Japanese Peace Museums”

By any count or criterion, Pakistan is a violent country. It is a militarist society which posses the nuclear weapon. It is also situated at the center of international terrorism and counter-terrorism. In this situation, what Pakistan needs is “peace museum”. Presently, there are a little over a hundred peace museums in the world. These keep alive the memories of the militarist past and people’s war-related sufferings, and contribute to peace education.

Japan has the largest number of peace museums in a single country (which has more than fifty museums), and its role to play toward establishment of peace museums in Pakistan is enormous. However, to build such museums in Pakistan entails various arguments, such as how to build what kind of museums, and to what extent Japan can contribute toward it. In this fellow-seminar, these topics will be presented and discussed among the participants.