Sophia Magazine vol.8 / WINTER 2018

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Above left: Dr. Stephen Freedman, former Provost of Fordham University, and the President of Sophia University, Yoshiaki Terumichi Above: Lively discussion ensued on the topic of urban researchThe success of the program has opened up much new potential, believes Ema. “Sophia has a number of unique research fields, starting with urban research,” he explains. “Moreover, all departments are on Yotsuya Campus, so it is easier to form multidisciplinary networks and begin collabo-ration. With initiatives such as this program, we are aiming to revitalize the practice of joint research.”Dr. Stephen Freedman, former Provost of Fordham Uni-versity and a key person in making this program a real-ity, passed away on July 2, 2018. His long years of service and many achievements gained great and widespread respect from the public. The entire Sophia community is saddened by this loss and extends its sincere condolences. ith similar focuses including globalization, migration, gentrication, social exclusion, and inequality, it makes perfect sense that Dr. Hinze, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Urban Studies Program at Fordham University, and Dr. Inaba, Professor in the Faculty of Global Studies and Director of the Institute of Global Concern at Sophia, would come together. The potential for conducting joint comparative studies, believe the pair, is born out of overlaps in their areas of expertise. “I think there is a lot of space for collaboration,” Hinze points out. “Especially if you look at such matters as gentrication, inequality, and global migration; those are all global issues. They are in so many ways shaped by the local context and by the national context.” Inaba expresses similar enthusiasm. “We would like to collaborate on urban studies and social justice in Japan, and especially in Tokyo,” she says. “Because New York is also a big city like Tokyo, I think there is a com-parable program at Fordham.” The two also envisage some highly interna-tional comparative studies, given that their combined research scope spans France, Germany, Japan, Turkey, and the United States. In addition, they recognize that their ongoing dialogue, coupled with strong support from each other’s universities, could potentially be the start of an extensive and fruitful partnership between Sophia and Fordham. As Hinze explains, “The idea is that if we build faculty relationships, everything else will grow out of this too; such as student exchanges and other sorts of partnerships. It all starts with a conversation and institutional support.”WComparative Studies of Global Societal IssuesEpisode 2Annika Hinze andNanako InabaField trip led by Sophia Professors29