AKADEMIA Forum News: Unissued Diplomas Exhibition held at SUJ

On Saturday 27 September, the AKADEMIA Forum hosted the official opening of the Exhibition Unissued Diplomas which is dedicated to Ukrainian students who lost their lives and were never able to graduate due to the Russian invasion and continued war against Ukraine. It is a simple but powerful exhibition that shows the consequences on ordinary lives of aggression and war.

The official opening was followed by a symposium that consisted of talks from the Ukrainian embassy, from academic experts and from Ukrainian students studying at Soka University. We were honoured to welcome Yuliya Zamorsky, the Second Secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan, Professor Yuliya Dzyabko from Ibaraki Christian University, Professor Isabel Bramson from Lund University in Sweden, and Professor Kevin Clements from the Toda Peace Institute. The event was conducted in English with Japanese translation. Around 90 participants including guests and speakers joined in-person and online to be part of this symposium that discussed peace and security, and the ongoing situation in Ukraine and how this effects people’s lives.

< [Symposium 27 September] Unissued Diplomas: Envisioning Peace in the Midst of Violence, the War in Ukraine > The event opened with a welcome by Anne Mette Fisker-Nielsen, Professor in Social Anthropology and Japanese Studies, Faculty of Letters, Dept. Humanities (SUJ) and an introduction to the Exhibition by Marta Ilo, MA student in Faculty of International Peace Studies. This was followed by words from Shunichi Ida, vice-president of Soka University, Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, dept. of Green technology. Then we had a moving talk by The Second Secretary Yuliya Zamorska of the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan.

This first part was followed by an academic session introduced and moderated by SungYong Lee, Professor in Peace studies, Faculty of Letters (SUJ). Three academics shared their insights on the current situation in Ukraine. The first talk titled Pathways for Future Peace Talks and Their Consequences by Isabel Bramsen, Ass. Professor, Lund University discussed the changing nature of negotiation as the war has continued. Secondly, we had an insightful presentation about identity titled Semantics of War and Peace: What Does a Just Peace Mean for the Ukrainian People? by Yuliya Dzyabko Ass. Professor at the College of Literature and dept. of Contemporary English, Ibaraki Christian University. Lastly, an overview of the various prospects for peace was presented in a talk titled Promoting Peace in Ukraine: Implications for the International Community by Kevin P. Clements who is the Director of the Toda Peace Institute and Foundation Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies of the New Zealand Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago.

After the academic session, we heard from Ukrainian Students who shared their experiences. Anastasiia Kovalska (Social Anthropology, Dept. Humanities, Faculty of Letters), Olha Stashuk, (Social Anthropology, Dept. Humanities, Faculty of Letters) and Daryna Kovalenko (FILA) talked about their personal experiences and views on the ongoing war they had never expected to experience personally. The day ended with a powerfully moving performance by Tetiana Lantukh (Social Anthropology, Dept. of Humanities, Faculty of Letters). These different talks and discussions brought together diverse attendees from Soka University students and faculty to alumni and guests from around the world, and many remained to discuss several hours after the event officially ended at 17:00. Participants and organisers said it was a truly meaningful event where they came together to learn and think about the current situation in Ukraine as well as escalating tension across Europe and the world, the senselessness of war, as well as agreeing about the importance of the continued efforts we individually can make in creating human connections and friendships wherever we go, while at the same time studying in-depth about global issues beyond what can be glanced from news reports.

The exhibition Unissued Diplomas was held from September 24 to October 5. We thank the International Affairs Office for their support and many thanks to those who viewed the exhibition and participated in the event on 27 September. Also, much gratitude goes out to the amazing teamwork of students and faculty who are part of the AKADEMIA Forum members whose commitment and effort made this event possible.