午夜剧场

I study the economic history of South Asia, with a particular focus on India. It is clear that India will become a major power in the coming era, so we will be involved with India in all kinds of business situations. The historical approach I study is one way to understand the Indian economy, which operates on a different system from Japan and the United States.

What led me to my current research was a trip to India during the summer vacation of my sophomore year of university. Whether it was buying clothes or eating a meal, the way people lived—their very way of life—was completely different from Japan and even other Asian countries. In India, with its otherworldly atmosphere, I felt for the first time that I had "come to a foreign country."

When I think about it, economics has the major theme of "living." I wondered if there might be a way of "living" or "surviving" that is fundamentally different from that in Japan or the West. As I traveled, I began to have these questions and chose a seminar where I could study the economic history of India. The more I learned, the more I wanted to delve deeper, and I saw the path I should take for my future: "I will aim to become a researcher in this field." In my university days (and there are still not many now), there were only a limited number of faculties of economics where one could study Indian economic history, so I feel I was very lucky.

Both when I was a student and now, I believe the classes in the Faculty of Economics are rich in variety. Correspondingly, the research fields and ideological backgrounds of the professors are also diverse. Opportunities to interact with so many experts in various fields are not common. Moreover, listening to people who are pursuing their area of expertise is stimulating and interesting, so I recommend that you actively communicate with your professors without hesitation.

Having moved from being a student to a teacher, I have come to realize anew that the level of students in the Faculty of Economics is very high, and they are serious and eager to learn. However, I am somewhat concerned that because they can handle things so competently, they tend to think small. They don't seem to be greedy about pursuing something. Since they are talented students to begin with, they should be able to grow even more if they aim high.

Economics is an interdisciplinary field of study that relates to various other disciplines such as sociology and cultural studies. Therefore, it doesn't have to be limited to economics; other fields are fine too. To go even further, it doesn't even have to be about studying. I hope that once you find something you find interesting, you will pursue it stoically.

By pursuing something thoroughly, your critical thinking skills are honed. What this means is that in the process of pursuit, you repeatedly go through a series of steps: reading many good books, discussing with professors and friends, and thinking and writing on your own. Through this, your critical thinking itself is trained.

In the first place, critical thinking is a foundational ability, like basic physical stamina, no matter what field or job you enter after graduation. However, when I have my seminar students write their theses, I find that while they can set a goal, their ability to develop the process to get there—that is, to structure their arguments—is weak. To overcome this weakness, I try to provide guidance that is conscious of training their critical thinking skills.

As you begin your university life, I think it's important to first imagine your four years as a time to "find something you find interesting, pursue that field thoroughly, and become able to express yourself with your own ideas." Then, in the next step, you think about how to create what you have "imagined." I believe you learn a great deal in the process of creation. How you use these two "sozo" powers—imagination (想像, sōzō) and creativity (創造, sōzō)—is very important. It doesn't have to be about studying; it can be a hobby or volunteer work. Why not try to fully exercise these two "sozo" powers in something you love?

(Interview conducted on October 23, 2008)