An interesting event at SOAS.
Monday, 16th May 2011, 6.45pm
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
Khalili Lecture Theatre
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
“Moderated discussion in support of the ‘Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund’.”
In Collaboration with the Japan Research Centre (JRC) at the School of Oriental and African Studies
Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis – on 11 March 2011 everything changed for the residents of Northeast Japan. Media reports have emphasized the dramatic, tragic devastation left in the wake of one of the strongest earthquakes in human history. ‘After the Shock’ shifts the discussion towards grappling with the prospects for recovery and reconstruction in Japan’s northeastern rural communities. Participants will have the opportunity to join in a moderated discussion between a geo-physicist with expertise in earthquake mitigation, an NPO director working with community and voluntary organisations in Northeast Japan, a nuclear industry analyst, and an historian whose research examines rural life in Japan and community relationships with the nuclear industry.
Roundtable Participants:
Professor Peter Sammonds is Professor of Geophysics at University College London, Department of Earth Sciences. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and a member of the Royal Society Environmental Advisory Network. He is past Chair of the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) UK Alumni Association, and was Visiting Professor at the Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo. Professor Sammonds investigates the mechanics of the Earth’s crust and ice sheets by studying the fundamental physics and mechanics of geological materials, particularly research directed towards studying the impacts of climate change and natural hazards.
Phillida Purvis MBE is Founder and Director of Links Japan which was established in 1998 to promote sharing between civil society organizations in the EU and Japan. She has run exchange programmes between NPOs, NGOs and community organisations on a range of social sector issues, such as community regeneration, social inclusion, social enterprise as well as international development cooperation. As a member of HM Diplomatic Service she undertook Japanese language training and served at the British Embassy in Tokyo during the 1980s.
Malcolm C Grimston began work for the Atomic Energy Authority in 1987. In 1995 he joined Imperial College as a Senior Research Fellow and in 1999 became a Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House, where he is now an Associate Fellow investigating the future of civil nuclear energy. He is author of numerous articles and co-author of two books as well as a regular media contributor on energy and nuclear matters. He is an elected Member of Wandsworth Council and until 2009 had executive responsibility for environment and leisure.
Dr Martin Dusinberre is Lecturer in the History of Modern Japan at Newcastle University. He specialises in the social and cultural history of modern Japan, including the nuclear power industry. His book Hard Times in the Hometown: A Microhistory of Modern Japan is forthcoming from the University of Hawaii Press. An article on Japanese civil society and the rise of the nuclear power industry, co-authored with Daniel P. Aldrich, is forthcoming from the Journal of Asian Studies.
Moderated by:
Dr Christopher Gerteis is Lecturer in the History of Contemporary Japan at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has held research and teaching positions at Hosei University and Sophia University in Tokyo and Yale University in the United States. He is a specialist in the history of modern and contemporary Japan.
Co-organised by:
Booking Information:
To book your place, please contact the Japan Society office on
tel: 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk
5countries 