At GRIPS Forum on November 6, 2023, Dr. Oussouby Sacko, Director of Integrated Research Institute and Professor, Kyoto Seika University, gave a lecture titled “Globalization and the way of coexistence in society”.

Abstract:

Thinking of the world in 2050 brings in mind many challenges as the future society continues to struggle global issues. On the African continent, where I come from, the population is expected to grow, the majority of whom will be under the age of 25. On the other hand, in Japan, not only is the population declining, but the aging rate is increasing. To maintain a certain level of economic growth and social sustainability, Japan will be accepting many foreign workers as result of globalization.

Globalization means that people, goods, money, and information come and go freely across national borders, and their value cannot be determined by the policies of a single country.　Globalization, urbanization, change of family structure and market economy will transform local communities and social infrastructure. In addition, the rapid technological revolution is making many aspects of life more convenient, but it is also changing the way people interact and increased diversity in workplaces and communities. However, globalization has grown significant issues for our current societies, particularly the increase of social division, widening inequalities, and international migration seen in recent years. It is therefore necessary to create new values for a "coexistence society" that respects human and cultural diversity. In this lecture, I would like us to think together about what a "coexistence society" influenced by the globalization should look like. Many challenges caused by globalization needs global solutions and local actions, especially to co-create a new diverse society.

Speaker: Dr. Oussouby Sacko,
              Director of Integrated Research Institute and Professor,
              Kyoto Seika University

Speaker’s Profile:

Oussouby Sacko was born in 1966 in the Republic of Mali. After graduating from high school in 1985, he went to study in China as a government-sponsored international student. Upon graduation from Beijing Language and Culture University, he studied architecture at Southeast University in Nanjing, followed by architectural design at the graduate school of the same university. He came to Japan in 1991, receiving a master's degree in engineering from the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, and a doctorate from the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, also at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University. In 2001, he became a lecturer at the Department of Humanities, Kyoto Seika University. He was President of Kyoto Seika University from April 2018 to the end of March 2022. Since April 2022, he has been serving as Director, Integrated Research Organization and director of the Contemporary Cultural Studies (CAACCS). He obtained Japanese nationality in 2002 and is a Malian Japanese national who speaks five languages, as well as the Kansai dialect.

What is GRIPS Forum?

Since its establishment in 1997, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) has promoted research and education on a wide variety of policy issues. The GRIPS Forum invites specialists from national and local governments as well as academic and business communities to promote policy studies and expand policy networks.