Message to Prospective Students

The Sustainable Development Goal 16 aims to promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies. Yet, we hear a lot of unjust, unpeaceful, discriminatory news everyday. My research interest is in global peace and security. Have you ever thought about why devils fight in a hero story? Momotaro, a Japanese folktale, does not tell us about the “bad” actors. If the hero, Momotaro, could have imagined devils’ desires and needs, he might not need to fight with them and have overcome challenges through dialogue. Exploring “the other side,” I develop theories to improve the policy making capacity of international organizations’ in the fields of peace and security, humanitarian assistance, and human rights. In Global Studies, my interest is also in examining how “global” and “local” ideas meet, how they translate different ideas, and how they sometimes conflict with each other. My courses include workshops and in-class activities to facilitate students’ active listening, speaking, and learning with their classmates. With my experience both in academia and practice, in Japan and abroad, I am happy to support students’ career development. I look forward to discussing with you for our sustainable futures.

Research Interests and Teaching Areas

International Politics, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Organization, Global Governance

Selected Works

• Ayako Kobayashi, “Our Conflicts, Our Conflict Resolutions, and Our Sustainable Futures,” A Perspective from Sophia University ~SDGs~, Yomiuri Shimbun, December 1, 2020 (in Japanese)
• Ayako Kobayashi, “Humanitarian Access Constraints and Rebel Groups in African Civil Wars,” Kokusai Seiji (International Relations), No. 186, January 2017, pp. 80-96. (in Japanese)
• Ayako Kobayashi, “Global Society and Human Security,” in Studies of International Relations: To Understand the Global Society [2nd edition], Kenji Takita, Ryo Oshiba and Yasuko Tsuru eds. (Tokyo: Yushindo, 2017), pp. 188–204. (in Japanese)

For more works