Symposium on “Education, Inheritance, and Restoration of Language” (Symposium hosted by UOsaka Fukufuku Center) Held

On Monday, March 24, 2025, the symposium titled "Language Education, Inheritance, and Restoration of Language" was held in the Small Hall at the Minoh Theater for the Performing Arts. This symposium was hosted by the Diversity & Community Engagement Research Center affiliated with the Graduate School of Humanities (aka UOsaka Fukufuku Center) at the University of Osaka as part of the “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact.”

The UOsaka Fukufuku Center aims to build a society in which “coexistence of multiple languages and cultures” is considered the norm through support activities and educational and research activities for children with foreign roots. This symposium was attended by approximately 130 people from diverse backgrounds, including not only researchers and students from the university but also local researchers, educators, and staff of organizations involved with foreign residents. Together, they discussed language issues for the realization of a multicultural society.

The day began with opening remarks by Keiko Takemura, director of the center, followed by lectures by three experts in the field of language education who have been active in various regions overseas. Details of each lecture are as follows:

Lecture 1
Prof. Pia Arboleda (Professor, Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures, College of Arts, Languages and Letters, University of Hawaii at Manoa)
"Heart and Soul: Empowering Diverse Learners through Philippine Languages and Cultures"

Lecture 2
Prof. Quyen Di Chuc Bui (Vietnamese Language Lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles)
"Preserving and Promoting Heritage Languages in the Vietnamese American Community in California, USA"

Lecture 3
Prof. Yuehchen Chien (Professor and Chair, Department of Indigenous Languages and Communication, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan)
"Status Quo of Language Revitalization of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan: From Children to Adults"
(Prof. Chien had to cancel his visit to Japan, so a video recording of his lecture was shown.)

After the lecture, Professor Chien also appeared online for a Q&A session. There were many questions to the speakers, indicating the high level of interest among the participants.

In the participants' questionnaire, we received comments such as “I would like to think about what we can do to preserve and respect the mother tongues of all children living in Japan” and “It was great to have an opportunity to learn about the current state of language education in different countries and regions and to think about various issues such as the inheritance of culture and traditions.” The symposium provided an opportunity to reflect on what can be done to address the issue of children with foreign roots as a problem like our own.

Following the symposium, a social gathering was held at the Minoh Campus. A total of 34 people participated, including the speakers, faculty staff and students of our university, and educators, offering an opportunity to share information and exchange opinions on various issues related to language education and children with foreign roots.

The UOsaka Fukufuku Center will continue to implement activities to solve social issues by supporting the efforts of local communities, local governments, and schools to help children with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds grow up using their languages and backgrounds with a sense of pride in their own roots, thereby acting as an intermediary between languages and cultures, as well as between people.

Related Link:
Diversity & Community Engagement Research Center, affiliated with the Graduate School of Humanities