WELCOME

My research areas are history of political thought and history of international thought. Currently, I focus on the intellectual interactions among different cultures in the early modern period, exploring how they influenced and shaped each other’s ideas. As a scholar of the history of ideas, I believe it is our duty to draw inspiration and insight from the past to address contemporary issues, while maintaining a balanced perspective that acknowledges both historical changes and timeless values.

Consider how much our society has changed in the past hundred years in terms of manners and customs, technology, and politics: we have gone from wearing Kimono to Western clothes, from walking on gravel to asphalt roads, from living in wooden houses to tower buildings, from watching picture card shows to TV and online shows, from riding bicycles to motor vehicles, trains, and airplanes; we have also experienced political transformations such as the end of the class system and the establishment of universal suffrage, gender equality, and democracy. This implies that our society will continue to transform considerably over the next hundred years. In this regard, we face ambiguous and conflicting prospects for the future. On the one hand, we are worried about the threats of financial collapse, demographic decline, poverty, inequality, energy crisis, and resource depletion that could endanger our society. On the other hand, we are fascinated by the possibilities of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence that could radically alter the basic structure of society.

However, beneath the surface of these changes, many things remain the same since ancient times. For example, the delight of people under the blossoming cherry trees or children playing with balls in the city crowd, as seen in the video clip taken in Tokyo a hundred years ago, show that regardless of the time period, circumstances, or type of government we live under, we have our everyday life, in which we laugh, cry, get angry, and feel happy with our family and friends and in various communities, big and small, thin and thick. It is our common ideal for all people in all times and places, to live our own lives as we will unless we harm others. And it will continue to be pursued no matter what changes occur in our world.

Looking back on history from this perspective, human beings have migrated since our appearance on the earth in search of comfortable living environments, driven by a variety of reasons such as prey, trade, and wealth, for training, to free from war and persecution, to achieve military and religious missions, etc. On such occasions, the relationship between different communities has always borne the duality of guest and enemy, and reception and exclusion, under the concepts of hospitality and hostility, both of which share the same etymological origin.

In the coming years, the number of people moving across borders is likely to increase. The future of our society will depend greatly on how we address the challenges that come with this change. I appreciate the opportunity to think critically about the issues facing our society and work with students and colleagues towards creating a more inclusive and equitable future.
(Natsuko Matsumori)