Course Introduction: Comparative Culture
General Education Courses | Group III Humanities and Social Sciences, Comparative Culture
From Self to Other, and Back to Self Again
For those of us living in an age of internationalization, cross-cultural exchange and understanding are often spoken of as if they were a matter of course. Indeed, overseas travel has become more accessible, and with the internet, we can instantly connect with the world from the comfort of our own rooms. However, as the world gets smaller and we become more accustomed to media that promotes homogenization, isn't it possible that the impact of our cross-cultural experiences is weakening, and our sense of cultural diversity is being dulled?
On the other hand, in modern society where the movement of people and goods is increasing in speed and scale, we are daily reminded of the importance and difficulty of multicultural coexistence. There is a need for the intellectual work of creating an ideology that recognizes diverse cultures, transcending differences in ethnicity, race, and religion. About 180 years before Said made this appeal, the German poet Goethe asserted that cultural exchange is possible precisely because the particularity of each is respected, and that differences in language and currency resulting from these characteristics would only promote such exchange, never becoming a hindrance. Cultural exchange born through a process of mediation¡ªwhile it may seem like a detour at first glance, the process of accepting what is different in its own particularity and slowly digesting it will surely help us, who tend to rely on efficiency-oriented, standardized social systems, to reclaim the time to turn our thoughts from the self to the other, and back to the self again.
Confronting different cultures and others is also a process of affirming one's own culture, and for young students in particular, it is a valuable opportunity to rediscover oneself. In the "Comparative Culture" course, we aim to provide topics that will serve as a catalyst for students, who are about to become active as global citizens in what is called a global society, to flexibly accept the diverse cultural activities on our planet and to reflect on themselves in that light, and we hope to think together with you.
(Professor Kayo Yamamoto)