About Us
Background
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity is a characteristic of social grouping that reflects the degree to which objective or subjective differences exist between group members (van Knippenberg and Schippers 2007). Objective differences include differences in terms of sex, age, ethnicity, etc. which are often readily observable, while subjective differences include differences in personality, values, customs, educational or career background, etc.
Inclusion is a situation in which an individual perceives that they are an esteemed member of the group through experiencing treatment that satisfies their needs for belongingness and uniqueness/ authenticity (Shore et al 2011; Jansen et al 2014).
Research on Diversity and Inclusion in Japan
In Japan, although researches have been carried out on individual minority groups such as gender and immigration issues, there is relatively little research on how people with diverse attributes, backgrounds and experiences can work together within a group. In addition, most of such research has been conducted mainly in the field of business administration, often focusing only on the diversity of corporate employees, and there are not many studies focusing on diversity in other fields.
HU and Diversity and Inclusion
HU has made pioneering achievements in Japan in the fields of gender equality, support for students with disabilities, and special needs education. Based on these achievements, the next step for HU is to become a research center for diversity and inclusion where diverse researchers gather, and to nurture knowledge and skills among citizens to collaborate with people with diverse values and backgrounds.
Thus, in April 2016, the Research Center for Diversity and Inclusion (ReCDI) was established as an interdisciplinary research organization.
Works
ReCDI promotes diversity and inclusion through following works:
- Research: conduct interdisciplinary research on diversity and inclusion
- Education: educate students in the knowledge and skills for diversity and inclusion
- Social Action: promote diversity and inclusion within and outside HU and contribute to problem solving (through public lectures, training workshops, etc.)
Staff
Full-Time Researchers
| Machiko Oike | African literature, Gender studies: Professor |
|---|---|
| Riho Sakurai | Comparative education, Educational policy, Inclusive education: Associate professor |
| Yoko Kitakaji | Behavioral science, Simulation and gaming: Assistant professor |
Research Associates (The Institute for Diversity & Inclusion, Hiroshima University)
| Tinka Delakorda Kawashima | Sociology of religion: Lecturer, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
|---|---|
| Naoe Kawamoto | Welfare sociology: Associate professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Hisashi Kuwayama | International cooperation education: Lecturer, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Kiriko Sakata | Social psychology: Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Luli van der DOES | Memory studies, discourse representation analysis: Associate professor, The Center for Peace |
History
| April 2016 | ReCDI established. The first director was Kiriko Sakata |
|---|---|
| January 2017 | Yoko Kitakaji joined as a full-time researcher |
| May 2017 | Machiko Oike (HU) joined as full-time researcher |
| July 2017 | Chie Sakai (Kansai Univ.) and Yoko Sato (Kochi Univ.) joined as affiliated researchers. |
| September 2017 | Yoshio Kamijo (Kochi Univ. of Technology) joined as an affiliated researcher. |
| October 2017 | Participated in "Diversity Research Environment Initiative" (a.k.a. CAPWR), funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Mainly in charge of Initiative 4 "Diversity Model Development Initiative" (until March 2023) |
| April 2018 | Machiko Oike was appointed as Director of ReCDI. |
| May 2018 | Participated in Research Group for Developing Science for Diversity and Inclusion (set up as HU was included in “The Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities" by MEXT) |
| October 2018 | Toshihiko Soma and Kenichiro Nakajima joined as research associate. |
| December 2018 | Kazuya Kawaguchi (Hiroshima Shudo Univ) and Nahoko Adachi (Osaka City Univ) joined as affiliated researchers. |
| March 2019 | The Study Group for Different Cultures Hiroshima was launched in collaboration with Hiroshima Prefectural University. |
| August 2019 | Naoe Kawamoto (HU), Riho Sakurai (HU), Naomi Tsunematsu (HU), Tinka Delacorda Kawashima (HU), Itaru Nagasaka (HU), Akiko Nakayama (HU) joined as research associates. |
| October 2019 | Mikio Yamamoto (HU), Akiko Sakamoto (HU), and Mariko Shinmoto (HU) joined as research associates. |
| March 2020 | Nakamura Taira (HU) joined as a research associate. |
| September 2020 | Kim Jae Wook (HU) joined as a research associate. |
| September 2020 | Mid-term self-assessment for 5 year activities |
| October 2020 | Riho Sakurai (HU) joined as a full-time researcher. Gerald LeTendre (Pennsylvania State Univ.) and Miki Sugimura (Sophia Univ.) appointed as advisors. |
| December 2020 | External mid-term evaluation based on self-assessment |
| March 2021 | Toshiyuki Shirakawa (HU) joined as research associates. |
| May 2021 | Yutaka Mano (Naruto University of Education) joined as Affiliated Researchers. |
Report
(in Japanese)
- FY2021 Report（889KB）
- FY2020 Report（1,010KB）
- FY2019 Report（638KB）
- FY2018 Report（707.95KB）
- FY2017 Report（604.36KB）
Access
Research Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Hiroshima University
Postal Address: Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima City, Japan.
Email: diversity-center@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
See the HU site for the access to Higashi-hiroshima campus
In the campus, visit us on 8th Floor, Building B, at the Faculty of Education.
To come to the Fac. of Education by car, use Gate 1 with the guard, and follow the green-highlighted route in the map. Take the elevator in the middle of Building B to the 8th floor.
