HJU Spring Seminar 2014
Tentative Fieldwork Schedule
February 28 -March 1
March 1
Orientation to accommodations
March 2
Tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
You will receive a tour of the museum guided by Steve Leeper, who has translated for the museum for over 20 years, was chairman for six years of the organization that manages the museum (Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation), and served for five years on the museum renovation committee. The tour will take approximately one hour. After the tour, you will be free for another hour to explore the exhibits on your own.
A-bomb survivor testimony – Koko Kondo
Guided tour of Peace Memorial Park
Peace Park is full of monuments, each of which has a story to tell. You will divide into groups and walk through the park with guides who know all those stories. This tour will help you comprehend the breadth, depth and endlessness of the A-bomb’s effect on the people of Hiroshima.
This day will be your personal encounter with the basic facts of what happened at Hiroshima. The more knowledgeable you are about the bombing when you arrive, the more surprised you will be by what you learn. It will be a full day, including time in the early evening for group debriefing and reflection.
March 3
Recovery and Remembering – Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
The HPCF is commissioned by the city of Hiroshima to manage the museum and its outreach activities. The presenter (TBA) will talk about how Hiroshima recovered, what it means to be a Peace Memorial City, and what Hiroshima has done and is doing for world peace.
Social and psychological consequences –
Dr. Kazumi Mizumoto, vice president, Hiroshima Peace Institute.
Dr. Mizumoto is probably the best-known peace and A-bomb scholar in Hiroshima. He is the senior researcher at the Peace Institute and knows the Hiroshima story inside and out. He also serves on the committee to renovate the museum.
March 4
The Abolition Movement
Disarmament
Kathleen Sullivan, disarmament educator and activist
Ms. Sullivan is one of the most renowned disarmament educators in the business. She helped to create the Cyber School Bus on the UN website, and is largely responsible for its content related to disarmament. She has even produced an award-winning film entitled The Last Atomic Bomb. She will talk to us about the disarmament movement, where it stands and where she hopes it is going.
Catastrophic Humanitarian Consequences
Tilman Ruff, IPPNW
Dr. Ruff speaks with authority on the topics of radiation and health effects of nuclear weapons, but he is also one of the leading international activists in this field. He was instrumental in launching the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and has been intimately involved in developing its core arguments.
The New Movement and ICAN
Akira Kawasaki, Peace Boat
Akira Kawasaki is probably the best known of all Japanese anti-nuclear activists. He is Japan’s representative on the steering committee of ICAN and was Japan’s NGO representative to the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND). He knows both the international campaign and Japan’s role.
This day will introduce participants to the efforts by nations and civil society to manage and eliminate the nuclear threat.
March 5
Fukushima and Nuclear Power: An Encounter for Truth
Discussion of Fukushima and nuclear power using conflict transformation technology to pursue truth, as opposed to victory –
Kyoko Okumoto, NARPI
This unusual session will bring together proponents and opponents of nuclear power for a discussion. This will NOT be a debate. The immediate goal will be to identify the precise points at which the two sides are in conflict, thereby opening paths for relevant research and discovery. Another goal of this session will be to demonstrate the difference between trying to win and trying to get at the truth. Dr. Okumoto will help to design the ground rules for the encounter and will mediate the exchange.
This day will focus on the difference between pursuing victory and pursuing truth.
March 6
Creating individual and/or group plans for future study or action
We will be disappointed if you go home and gradually forget what you found in Hiroshima. This day will be devoted to creating plans for applying what you have learned. The plans can be for groups as well as individuals. Your plans can focus on continued peace-related academic study, consciousness raising activities, or social/political action.
March 7
Feedback and completion of plans
Individuals and groups will be expected to present their plans to the group for questions and feedback. Some of the plans may require more work. Or, it may not be possible to present all plans on March 6. The morning of March 7 will be reserved for continued or repeat presentations.
Afternoon Visit to Ninoshima
Ninoshima is an island just off shore from Hiroshima. Thousands of victims were taken there after the bombing, cared for in totally inadequate facilities with inadequate medical supplies. At least 10,000 died on the island and were hastily buried in mass graves. A trip to this island helps visitors understand the magnitude of the Hiroshima disaster.
March 8
Miyajima and other sightseeing options
Hiroshima Prefecture is proud of having two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One is the A-bomb Dome. The other is Itsukushima Shrine (The Floating Shrine) on the sacred island of Miyajima. Miyajima has many attractions, and it is generally considered bad form to come to Hiroshima and not go to Miyajima, so we will go to the island for our final wrap-up session.