From March 6 to 7, the Annual International Symposium of the University-based Institutes for Advanced Study (UBIAS) was successfully held at Nagoya University, Japan. The conference brought together over scholars and experts from Nagoya University's Institute for Advanced Research, Nanjing University Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, and Waseda Institute for Advanced Study. Centered around the topic of the year "Human/Non-human", the conference featured in-depth discussions on issues posed by the era of artificial intelligence.
On the morning of March 6, Gao Fang, Director of the NJU Office of Humanities and Social Sciences, led the delegation to Nagoya University, where she discussed with Naoshi Sugiyama, President of Nagoya University, Junichi Sakuma, Vice President of Nagoya University, and Kunio Abaga, Director of Nagoya University Institute for Advanced Research, along with other experts in the humanities and social sciences. President Sugiyama warmly welcomed the delegation, and Gao Fang highlighted the significance of the conference and hoped to strengthen cooperation between the two sides.
From the afternoon of March 6 to March 7, the UBIAS annual international symposium was officially held. Scholars and experts presented their insights surrounding the theme of the conference. Gao Fang delivered a keynote speech on the non-human writing in contemporary French literature. Research findings on the post-visuality in the post-human era by Zhou Xian, NJU University Distinguished Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences was presented on the symposium. Hu Yiqing, Deputy Director of the NJU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, explored the relationship between humanity and technology in the era of generative artificial intelligence. Professor Lan Jiang from the School of Philosophy, Nanjing University, conducted an in-depth analysis of technological capitalism. Assistant Professor Liu Dongbo from the School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University, examined the transformation of the Bodhisattva image.
At the closing ceremony on March 7, Xu Xingwu, Director of NJU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, delivered a speech. He emphasized that the conference provided a high-level platform for scholarly exchange, fostering interdisciplinary and cross-field engagement and collaboration. The successful conclusion of this academic conference has further promoted international cooperation between NJU and other UBIAS member institutions, strengthening dialogue and exchange with leading international research institutes.
Writer: Li Jing
Editor: Ma Chunyu, Wang Xiaoyu
