RIHN Ecohistory Programme International Symposium

Date & time:	Friday, 28 August & Saturday, 29 August 2009
Venue:	RIHN Lecture Hall ( access)
Title:	Towards the Future of Civilization - 3 Science Fiction Novelists Dialogue at the R.I.H.N -
Organiser:	RIHN Ecohistory Programme
Co-organiser:	IO Cooperation / Komatsu Sakyo Office
Language:	English/Japanese (simultaneous interpretation provided)
Other Information:	Admission free, advance booking required Internet Live Broadcasting Handbill (PDF) Related Symposium

The Objective of the Symposium:

To solve ‘Global Environmental Problems’, on the first stage we need to have a clear view of what the civilization is and what the world is, because it leads to clarify what the problems to solve are. We can never reach the real solution by only accumulating objective data for, for example, preventing green-house effects or protection of animals. Today, we are required to discuss civilization, the earth and humanity, and the world, from a fundamental level. Science Fiction novels are products of novelists’ own concepts of history, civilization and future. For this symposium, we invited SF novelists whose works have shown particular interests in environmental issues and human future. Creating a new scope for the future out of collaborative discussion of scholars and SF novelists; This is the objective of the symposium.

Session 1 ‘What is Life?’

Hideaki Sena (Novelist), Kazunobu Ikeya (National Museum of Ethnology), Hiroyuki Takaoka (Kohchi Women’s College), Andrew Cochrane (Sainsbury Institute of Japanese Arts), Yo-Ichiro Sato (RIHN)

Session 2 ‘The Future of Resources’

Paolo Bacigalupi (Novelist), Takashi Ogawa (Translator),Hiroshi Nawata (RIHN), Takashi Kurata (RIHN)

Session 3 ‘Capacity of the Earth’

Housuke Nojiri (Novelist), Ken’ichi Shinoda (National Science Museum), Christopher Gillam (South Carolina University), Junzo Uchiyama (RIHN)