NEWS

【Interview】 Dr. Johan Galtung

Update:

ICU was "dedicated" by collaboration between American and Japanese people after the end of World War II to pursue the mission of world peace. From ICU's "dedication" in 1953, peace studies have been the core of ICU. What is a role of ICU to pursuing peace studies as the first liberal arts college in Japan?

Japan and the US have dominated others. There are two types of relationship: domination and isolation. Examples of these types can be seen during the eras of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. In the US, the Monroe Doctrine is an example of dominance of the United States over South America. If states do not dominate other states, they tend to become isolated from other states, which was the case with Japan and its policy of isolation. Today, Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan is dead because of interpretation and practice. These interpretations and practices are examples of dominance over others, and this situation is similar to that in the US. Such relationships will not easily end.

However, there is one other possible type of relationship: equity. ICU students need to think about these issues of colonization and consider how Japan and the US can act equitably. There are two successful examples. The first example is the Nordic states. Although Denmark and Sweden dominated the Nordic states, including Norway where I was born, there is an equitable relationship among these states today. It took 800 years to reach this point. The second example is Europe. The EU was established in 1958. Although it was a hierarchical organization, it is becoming an equitable one.

Although there are many approaches to peace, international relations is a dominant discipline in English literature of peace studies. What is your expectation to ICU, where both Japanese and English are common languages of the university?

There are two problems.

First, the term "international relations," which is dominant in the Anglo-American world, is problematic. In Germany, international relations are called "science of states." A nation is a cultural group. Members of a nation share a common history, and there is attachment to a particular geographical area. There are 200 states, while 2000 nations exist. Ryukyu and Ainu are nations even if they do not have states.

Second, there are two keywords in international relations: hierarchy and anarchy. I invented "equiarchy," which sounds similar to these two words. This word means "equal relationship." The possibility of an equal relationship needs to be explored.

Regarding language, Japanese is a hierarchical language, and English is individualistic language. At ICU, you need to think critically about language. Language makes us think. If there is no word, there is no thinking. For example, in English, war can be plural, but peace is always singular. Plurality and singularity embody the essence of the language. Peace is singular because English sees peace as one image. This kind of analysis makes it possible to think critically about language.