1. Theme:

"The Role of Intergenerational Ties in Sustainability: What to Sustain, What to Revise, and What to Pass Across Generations?"

2. Concept note

  More than three decades have passed since the introduction of Sustainable Development in 1987. This implies one generation-long time has passed already as a sustainable development paradigm. Intergenerational ties is at the heart of sustainable development and this concept raises some of the important inquiries to the idea of development. For instance, how do we ensure fairness across the previous, the present, and the future generations? How do we manage the processes of creating actions in such a way intergenerational equity is well-reflected? And how do we assess the relevance of actions across generations as well as at different scales? These questions help us to increase the clarity on the idea of sustainable development.
  Looking at the relationship with our previous generations, what ideas and practices have we received from them? In a rural area like Akita, where the conference is to be held, ways of living with nature harmoniously have been passed across generations, especially through the means of natural resource management in nearby mountain called Satoyama and agricultural practices centered around rice production. Such state of rural village where people’s lives and existence are deeply rooted in local ecosystem suggests us to carefully re-examine the type of human-nature relationship we have in the modern society.
  While we identify those ideas, practices, and values we wish to pass down, there are other items we wish to change for the future generations. Among those customs being inherited from the previous generation, which ones are to be revised, updated, or even removed? Practices of mass production and mass consumption led by the global market, conflict and refugees, global health and pandemic, lack of access to quality education, intolerance and lack of understanding to sexual and gender diversities. We must address those structures that have marginalised specific groups of people and solidified the disparities across generations. We are observing a surge of new ideas that demand changes in our ways of living for sustainability such as global commons, climate justice, and de-growth, but what are the roles of intergenerational ties?
  The plenary session of the 24^th JASID Spring Conference employs intergenerational ties as a perspective to discuss what we are really trying to sustain across generations especially through the mean of international cooperation and development. Through this discussion, the session aims to offer a dialogue with all participants to co-imagine new ways to integrate intergenerational ties and sustainability in the scope of respective research projects and professional practices.

3. Speakers *Field of experty in backets

• Associate Professor. Divine Fuh, Director of the Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), The University of Cape Town (Social Anthroplogy, de-colonisation of knowledge)
• Professor. Hideki Maruyama, SPSF Coordinator, Department of Global Studies, Sophia University (Comparative Education, non-formal education)
• Associate Professor. Kaeko Chiba, Global Connectivity Program, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Akita International University (Anthropology, Japanese tea ceremony and ikebana)
• Associate Professor. Shogo Kudo, Global Studies Program, the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Akita International University / Research Fellow in the Department of Geography, University of the Free State (Sustainability Science, community designs)

4. MC

• Ms. Kanako Omi, Ph.D. Candidate at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, International Christian University (Development Studies, youth agency in rural South Africa)

5. Language

• This session will be organised in English.
• Simultanious transcribing on a screen will be prepared.