December 5-6, 2008
Professor Bunkyo Kin
The 12th Kyoto University International Symposium (KUIS-12): "Transforming Racial Images: Analyses of Representations" was held at the Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall on December 5th-6th, 2008. Since the year 2000, Kyoto University has held one or two international symposia annually in selected venues around the world in order to promote its academic activities, particularly in those fields in which the university excels. This 12th symposium was supported by the Kyoto University Foundation and the Science Council of Japan. The two-day seminar was attended by approximately 430 participants. Despite very bad weather conditions in Kyoto during the symposium, the event saw active participation by many researchers and students from Kyoto University and other institutions, as well as many participants from outside the academic world.
The symposium began in the afternoon of the 5th with welcome addresses from Kyoto University president, Dr. Hiroshi Matsumoto and Director of the Institute for Research in Humanities, Professor Bunkyo Kin. The proceedings were chaired by Professor Shigeki Iwai of the Institute for Research in Humanities. Following those introductory speeches, Professor Yasuko Takezawa of the Institute for Research in Humanities, chairperson of the symposium's organizing committee gave an overview of the aims of the symposium. Professor Takezawa explained that the symposium aimed to explore the sense of reality that is produced through racial representations, and how these representations continue and transform. Professor Takezawa expressed her hope that through Kyoto University's unique interaction between the humanities and sciences, the symposium would provide its participants with new modes of thinking – different from those commonly held in the United States and Europe – about what has been conventionally regarded as "different."
Professor Troy Duster
Following Professor Takezawa's address, Professor Ella Shohat of New York University delivered a keynote speech entitled "Stereotype, Representation and the Question of the Real: Some Methodological Proposals." Professor Shohat's speech was followed by further presentations by researchers from Kyoto University and other institutions, and by a "Talk Relay" in which several Kyoto University junior researchers gave presentations about their research. Following the presentations, a poster session was held, giving the audience a chance to speak with the junior researchers about their work.
In the evening of the 5th, a reception was held in the Clock Tower International Conference Hall. The reception began with a greeting by President Hiroshi Matsumoto, which was followed by a toast by Professor Bunkyo Kin. Following those welcoming addresses, the atmosphere became more relaxed with a performance of Venezuelan folk music by Ensemble Celleste, who were joined for their performance by symposium presenter Associate Professor Jun Ishibashi of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo. Several of the reception's participants were enticed to dance by the music's infectious Latin rhythms.
The second day of the symposium began with an opening address by Professor Toshio Yokoyama, director-general of Kyoto University's Organization for the Promotion of International Relations. In his speech, Professor Yokoyama explained Kyoto University's academic style to the symposium's guests from overseas, describing its emphasis of fieldwork and keen awareness of language when presenting new discoveries. Following Professor Yokoyama's opening address, seven researchers from Kyoto University and other institutions gave presentations, including Dr. Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner of the University of Sussex, Dr. Marvin Sterling of Indiana University, and Professor Troy Duster of the University of California, Berkeley and New York University, who gave a keynote lecture entitled "Human Genetics and Human Taxonomies: Fluidity, Continuity and Transformations." Following the presentations, a discussion session was held, chaired by Associate Professor Akio Tanabe of the Institute for Research in Humanities. The panel for the session included many of the symposium's presenters and chairpersons, as well as Professor Fumihiko Matsuda of Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine, who is involved in international statistical analysis of the minute differences among human genomes. The panelists responded to many questions from the audience, and the active discussion session considerably exceeded its allotted time. Following the discussion session, an after-party was held in the Clock Tower Centennial Hall Lounge, where the presenters had an opportunity to relax and mingle with the audience and the other symposium participants.
On the 7th, a post-symposium conference was held at the Institute for Research in Humanities. The conference gave 20 invited specialists, including several of the symposium's guest speakers from overseas to further discuss the issues raised at the seminar, making the most of the valuable opportunity for constructive academic exchange.
 Professor Shigeki Iwai |  Professor Yasuko Takezawa |  Professor Toshio Yokoyama |
 President, Dr. Hiroshi Matsumot |  Professor Ella Shohat |  poster session |
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