The GHC Tokyo representative Haneda visited Lima’s Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) owing to an invitation from Professor Hector Maldonado Felix, who is conducting global history research in Peru, to give two lectures at the university. UNMSM is an institute of higher learning with a long history, having been established in 1551 by a royal decree of the Spanish King Charles V, who was also the Holy Roman Emperor. The titles of the two lectures were “Interpretation of World History/Global History in Japan” (May 21) and “Toward a New World History” (May 22), more than 100 faculty and students attending each lecture. After the first lecture, a lively exchange of views took place between the participants and Haneda regarding the characteristics of the understanding of world history in Japan. A similar discussion after the second lecture concerned a definition of the awareness of being “residents of the Earth” and the (im)possibility for the people of the country that had dispatched conquerors and the people of the colonies to have a shared awareness of being “residents of the Earth.” I was also very impressed by the enthusiasm and strength of interest of the students, who formed a queue to ask individual questions even after the appointed time for the lecture had passed.

To further deepen the concept of the new world history and to share this with people in different parts of the world, while engaging in exchanges of views to have them understand our thoughts on world history, it is also necessary to have a robust comprehension of their history and diverse perceptions of world history, and this visit to Lima was very meaningful in that sense.

The lectures were given in English with consecutive Spanish interpretation, and roughly half the questions from the floor were in Spanish. I also noticed when I visited Mexico in February that in the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America, which boast a population of 600 million people, English is not well understood in universities, let alone on the streets. Opinions may differ as to whether this should be seen as a delay in adapting to globalization or a maintenance of distinctiveness. However, it is certain that one should not place a facile reliance on English if one wishes to engage in serious academic exchanges with the countries of Central and South America. In the same way as Japan has its characteristic structure of knowledge based on the Japanese language, Spanish speakers also have their own Spanish structure of knowledge. Furthermore, since each Spanish-speaking country has its own structure of knowledge based on its distinct Spanish language, it may not be possible for Japanese speakers to gain a precise understanding of the diverse views in the background to these knowledge structures through the medium of English. While it may take time, it is vital to cultivate highly-motivated human resources who take an interest in the Spanish-based structure of knowledge and are eager to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge.

(HANEDA Masashi)

A report of Haneda’s lectures at UNMSM can be seen on the UNMSM website at: http://www.unmsm.edu.pe/noticias/ver/Vicepresidente-ejecutivo-de-la-Universidad-de-Tokio-en-la-UNMSM