Assistant Professor Ajjana Thairungroj was invited to participate as a mentor for the “Association for Asian Studies (AAS)–Japan Foundation Framing the Study of Japan: Professionalization Workshop for Early Ph.D. Students in Southeast Asia,” held at Sophia University in Tokyo on July 2–3 and 6. Funded by the Japan Foundation, the workshop is part of a three-year series designed to support the professional development of emerging Japanese Studies scholars in Southeast Asia.

 

Dr. Thairungroj delivered the workshop’s opening lecture, “Reframing Japanese Studies: New Geographies of a Changing Field,” which explored what it means to study Japan from Southeast Asia and examined how changing intellectual geographies are reshaping the field of Japanese Studies. The lecture highlighted the possibilities of transregional and interdisciplinary approaches, while reflecting on the opportunities and challenges facing emerging scholars in the region. Together with Dr. Kisho Tsuchiya (Kyoto University) and Dr. Vila Somiah (Universiti Malaya), she led sessions and discussions on research design, theoretical frameworks, methodologies, academic careers, and professional development. The workshop brought together ten Ph.D. students from across Southeast Asia, fostering scholarly exchange, future academic collaborations, and stronger research networks between Southeast Asia and Japan.

 

▼Overview of the  workshop