IAFOR > The Paris Conference on Arts and Humanities (PCAH)

The 4th Paris Conference on Arts & Humanities (PCAH2025)

Partner Logos: IAFOR, IAFOR Research Center, ECPD

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June 10-14, 2025 | Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU), Paris, France

Bienvenue à Paris!

Welcome to the Paris Conference on Arts & Humanities (PCAH2025), held as a part of IAFOR’s European Conference Series and hosted at the Sorbonne University in 2025.

For centuries, France and its capital, Paris, have been a global intellectual and cultural centre and crossroads, impacting ideas, trends, theories, and practices, in all fields both in and the academy and the wider society. It remains the world’s most influential arbiter of taste, not only in food and wine, but also in fashion and style. This incredibly beautiful city, with its monumental buildings and sweeping designs, has been a literal and metaphorical stage for literal and metaphorical battles of ideas, of systems, of religions, and of countries that have themselves had enormous global ramifications, for good and for bad. The theories and the practices debated and implemented here, and the reforms and revolutions of Paris, have influenced and ignited those around the world.

This storied heritage attracts students and academics from around the world to its leading educational and research institutions, museums, and collections, and while Paris draws on its imposing traditions and cultural heritage, it is a place and space of constant renewal and innovation.

Through its geographically central but open and exposed position, Paris has hosted meetings between nations, cultures, and disciplines for more than two millennia; its historical and cultural richness is a result of these meetings. It is within this intellectual tradition, space, and place that we situate our own event here, in line with the IAFOR mission of ‘encouraging interdisciplinary discussion, facilitating intercultural awareness and promoting international exchange’.

We look forward to welcoming you (back) to Paris!

The 4th Paris Conference on Arts & Humanities (PCAH2025) is an interdisciplinary conference held alongside The 4th Paris Conference on Education (PCE2025). Registration for any of these conferences will allow delegates to attend sessions in the other. In keeping with our mission, we open the plenary sessions to all delegates across the conferences. We do this as every individual delegate has their own different overlapping interests.

– The PCAH2025 Programme Committee

Key Information
  • Location & Venue: Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU), Paris, France
  • Dates: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 ​to Saturday, June 14, 2025
  • Early Bird Abstract Submission Deadline: January 10, 2025*
  • Final Abstract Submission Deadline: March 14, 2025
  • Registration Deadline for Presenters: April 25, 2025

*Submit early to take advantage of the discounted registration rates. Learn more about our registration options.

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Speakers

  • Grant Black
    Grant Black
    Chuo University, Japan
  • Anne Boddington
    Anne Boddington
    IAFOR, Japan
  • Christopher Cripps
    Christopher Cripps
    Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France
  • Georges Depeyrot
    Georges Depeyrot
    French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
  • Charlotte Faucher
    Charlotte Faucher
    University of Bristol, United Kingdom
  • Stefania Giannini
    Stefania Giannini
    UNESCO, France
  • Joseph Haldane
    Joseph Haldane
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
  • Donald E. Hall
    Donald E. Hall
    Binghamton University, United States
  • Takehiro Kano
    Takehiro Kano
    United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France
  • Jean-Michel Leniaud
    Jean-Michel Leniaud
    École Pratique des Hautes Études, France
  • Ljiljana Markovic
    Ljiljana Markovic
    European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD), Serbia
  • Melina Neophytou
    Melina Neophytou
    IAFOR, Japan
  • Milica Papić
    Milica Papić
    Belgrade Youth Office, Serbia
  • Frédéric Ramel
    Frédéric Ramel
    Sciences Po, France
  • Paolo Sabbatini
    Paolo Sabbatini
    World Sinology Center, China
  • Giorgio Tenneroni
    Giorgio Tenneroni
    Municipality of Todi, Italy
  • Riccardo Travaglini
    Riccardo Travaglini
    General Workers Union (GWU), Malta

IAFOR's Conference Themes for 2025-2029

IAFOR Themes 2025-2029
Our selected themes for 2025-2029 bring together ideas and encourage research and synergies in the following areas:

  • Technology and Artificial Intelligence
  • Humanity and Human Intelligence
  • Global Citizenship and Education for Peace
  • Leadership

    • Our four themes can be seen as standalone themes, but they are also very much in conversation with each other. Themes may be seen as corollaries, complementary, or in opposition/juxtaposition with each other. The themes can be considered as widely as possible and are designed, in keeping with our mission, to encourage ideas across the disciplines.

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    IAFOR Scholarship

    IAFOR Grant and Scholarship Recipients 2025

    We are delighted to announce the recipients of IAFOR grants and scholarships for PCAH2025 to be held in Paris in June 2025 ...

    Submit an Abstract

    About IAFOR

    "Inspiring Global Collaborations"

    Founded in 2009, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) is a mission-driven politically independent non-partisan and non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary discussion, facilitating intercultural awareness and promoting international exchange, principally through educational interaction and academic research. Based in Japan, its main administrative office is in Nagoya, and its research centre is in the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), a graduate school of Osaka University. IAFOR runs research programs and events in partnership with universities, think tanks, and other associations. Through its international, intercultural and interdisciplinary conferences, research, and publications, IAFOR is a network hub for interdisciplinary discussion across Asia and beyond.
    Read more about IAFOR.

    Stefania Giannini
    UNESCO, France

    Biography

    Ms Stefania Giannini is the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education. A prominent figure in global education, she provides strategic vision and leadership in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Education 2030 Agenda to ensure education remains a top priority on the world’s political agenda.

    Believing that partnership is the new leadership, Stefania Giannini has mobilised action-driven coalitions such as the Global Education Coalition, connecting over 200 private and public partners, focusing on digital learning and AI in education, and the Greening Education Partnership, which brings together nearly 100 countries and 1,600 organisations.

    With an academic background in the Humanities and a PhD in Linguistics, Ms Giannini served as Rector of the University for Foreigners of Perugia (2004-2012). As Minister of Education, Universities and Research of the Republic of Italy (2014-2016), she led significant reforms centred on social inclusion and cultural awareness. She also served as Senator of the Republic (2013-2018).

    Recognised for her thought-leadership and strategic acumen, Stefania Giannini is frequently invited to serve on high-level committees and advisory boards, providing guidance and expertise on key policy and organisational matters.

    Frédéric Ramel
    Sciences Po, France

    Biography

    Frédéric Ramel is Full Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po Paris and Research Fellow at the Centre for International Studies (Centre d'études et de recherches internationales - CERI), France. He previously served as ther Head of the Political Science Department at Sciences Po from2016 to 2022, and was the first Scientific Director of the Strategic Research Institute at the École Militaire from 2009 to 2013. He coordinates the CNRS Research Group on Multilateral Action (GRAM) and also the research programme DATAWAR, financed by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) dedicated to the role of quantitative data in the interpretation of armed conflicts. Professor Ramel has published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Global Studies Quarterly, Journal of Political Science Education, International Studies Perspectives, and International Peacekeeping, as well as several manuscripts. His latest publications include Espace Mondial [World Space] (Presses de Sciences Po, 2024) and Benevolence in International Relations: A Political Essay (Bristol University Press, 2025), with a foreword from Chris Brown, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom. His current research focuses on multilateralism, peace, and the planetary and sensitivity in international relations.

    Photograph by Alexis Leconte.

    Panel Discussion (2025) | Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace
    Charlotte Faucher
    University of Bristol, United Kingdom

    Biography

    Charlotte Faucher is Senior Lecturer in Modern French History at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. She is a specialist of European soft power in the contemporary period and has published on the topic of culture and international relations, including her monograph Propaganda, Gender, and Cultural Power (Oxford University Press, 2022) and the co-edited Soft Power Beyond the Nation (Georgetown University Press, 2024) and Histoire(s) de la diplomatie culturelle française (Editions de l'Attribut, 2024). The latter was published to mark the centenary of the creation of the Institut Français, France’s agency for cultural diplomacy, and was part of a series of events and publications supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr Faucher is currently a Research England Policy Fellow in partnership with the British Council, working on a project investigating UK soft power in Europe over the past 40 years. The project’s key output will contribute to the process of defining a shared vision and strategy for the United Kingdom’s soft power initiatives.

    Panel Discussion (2025) | Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace
    Riccardo Travaglini
    General Workers Union (GWU), Malta

    Biography

    Mr Riccardo Travaglini began his career as an accounting consultant in Italy, specialising in start-ups and subsidised loans. In 2019, he relocated to Malta and joined the General Workers Union (GWU), where he has held various roles. As a business developer and project manager, he facilitated GWU's integration into the European Employment Services (EURES) network, contributing to the execution of numerous European projects. He also established international agreements with both private and public entities.

    In the field of international relations, as President of IRTUC Italy-Malta, Mr Travaglini focuses on maintaining excellent relationships and fostering collaborations with Italian trade unions. In this capacity, he represents GWU and IRTUC at the European coordination meetings of ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation), facilitating dialogue, information exchange, and joint actions among the various IRTUCs across Europe. Additionally, he represents GWU within ETUC's Trade and External Affairs Commission, discussing ETUC's external relations, analysing trade agreements between the EU and other countries, drafting responses to the European Commission, and establishing subcommissions to accompany EU negotiators on international missions.

    Mr Travaglini is a member of the Information Commission within the European Labour Authority (ELA), contributing to discussions and initiatives regarding labour-related information dissemination.

    Panel Discussion (2025) | Youth and Cultural Diplomacy
    Milica Papić
    Belgrade Youth Office, Serbia

    Biography

    Milica Papić is currently the Director of the Belgrade Youth Office within the City Administration of Belgrade, Serbia. Prior to this role, she gained extensive experience at the National Bank of Serbia, where she served as a Supervisor and earlier as a Junior Financial Analyst in the Market Risk Group within the Department for Supervision of Voluntary Pension Funds.

    In addition to her public sector work, Ms Papić is engaged in academia. She most recently held the position of Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, Serbia, where she taught Project Management. She is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the same institution, with an academic record marked by excellence. She previously completed her Master’s and Bachelor’s studies in Finance, Banking, and Insurance at the University of Belgrade.

    Ms Papić has participated in several international programmes, including the 2024 Seminar for Serbian Female Politicians in China and the 2023 “How Europe Works” conferences in Vienna, Italy and Brussels, Belgium, organised by the Robert Schuman Institute.

    Her professional and academic interests lie at the intersection of public policy, financial systems, and youth development.

    Panel Discussion (2025) | Youth and Cultural Diplomacy
    Giorgio Tenneroni
    Municipality of Todi, Italy

    Biography

    Mr Giorgio Tenneroni is the current President of the Municipal Council of Todi, Italy. Since April 15, 2025, he has also been the Coordinator of ANCI Giovani Umbria, the regional commission of young local councillors and mayors. He studies Law at the University of Perugia, Italy. His first paper, “Vita umana e dignità: un dialogo tra etica e diritto” was recently published in the international scientific journal Medicina e Morale (2024).

    Mr Tenneroni’s interest in a political and administrative career began in 2018, when he was elected as president of the student council in his high school. In 2019, he was elected as student representative in the Provincial Student Council of Perugia and Representative Deputy and President of the Council’s school building commission. In 2022, he was elected as a member of the City Council of his hometown, Todi, becoming the youngest City Councilor in the history of the City; he was also at the time the youngest elected councilor in charge in the Umbria Region. In 2023, he was appointed as President of the City Council of Todi, becoming the youngest President of a City Council in Italy.

    He has spoken at major national and international conferences with notable figures such as art critic Vittorio Sgarbi and Colonel Capitano Ultimo, an expert on anti-mafia policy. He also participated in international meetings as a speaker, including the 2024 Global Forum on Hehe Culture in Tiantai-Taizhou, China and the Second World Meeting on Human Fraternity in Rome, Italy and Vatican City State, where he spoke on a panel alongside the mayors of New York and Rome.

    Panel Discussion (2025) | Youth and Cultural Diplomacy
    Melina Neophytou
    IAFOR, Japan

    Biography

    Dr Melina Neophytou is the Academic Operations Manager at IAFOR, where she works closely with academics, keynote speakers, and IAFOR partners to shape academic discussions within The Forum, bring conference programmes together, refine scholarship programmes, and build an interdisciplinary and international community. She is leading various projects within IAFOR, notably The Forum discussions and the authoring of Conference Reports and Intelligence Briefings, and she oversees the Global Fellows Programme.

    Born in Germany and raised in Cyprus, Dr Neophytou received her PhD in International Development from Nagoya University, Japan, in 2023, specialising in political sociology, the welfare state, and contentious politics. She received an MA in International Development from Nagoya University, with a focus on Governance & Law, and a BA in European Studies from the University of Cyprus, Cyprus.

    Forum Discussion (2025) | TBA
    Jean-Michel Leniaud
    École Pratique des Hautes Études, France

    Biography

    Professor Jean-Michel Leniaud is one of France's leading historians of art and architecture. He has combined a career in scholarship, research, and administration, with one in the conservation, curation, and restoration of cultural heritage.

    He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Monuments Center (Centre des Monuments Nationaux), a body run by the French Ministry of Culture responsible for the conservation, restoration, and management of some 85 major historic sites and buildings owned by the French State, including Notre-Dame Cathedral (Notre-Dame de Paris). President of the Society of Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, Professor Leniaud sits on the scientific council of the public institution for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, established by President Macron in the wake of the devastating fire of 2019.

    Professor Leniaud is now Emeritus Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, a grand établissement of higher education noted for its pedagogy of research training through practice, and a part of the University of Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), and Professor of Architectural History at the École du Louvre, a grande école situated within the museum, and which specialises in the study of archaeology, art history, and anthropology.

    Previously he was Professor of Contemporary Art History at the École Nationale des Chartes (ENC) from 1992 to 2016, and its director from 2011 to 2016. The ENC, founded more than 200 years ago, is a grand établissement dedicated to historical research and the training of historians and curators, and is now also part of the PSL University.

    Professor Leniaud's career began in the administration of historic monuments at the Ministry of Culture, and from 1977 to 1990, he served as Inspector of Historic Monuments and Regional Curator (Rhône-Alpes), and subsequently held various positions at the national level in the administration of monuments. From 2011 to 2022, he chaired the Scientific Council of the French National Institute of Cultural Heritage (Institut National du Patrimoine), the academy responsible for training curators and conservators.

    He has been the chief curator of several major exhibitions, including ‘Viollet-le-Duc: Visions of an Architect’, held at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine museum in Paris from 2014 to 2015. ‘Viollet-le-Duc’ was an enormously influential architect and visionary, and was responsible for the restoration of medieval monuments, including Notre-Dame de Paris.

    Professor Leniaud is the author of numerous books and articles on the history of art, architecture, and heritage. Most recently, he directed a publication on the history of the cathedral; Les Résurrections de Notre-Dame - Chantiers et ferveurs was published by Mengès in 2024.

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | TBA
    Christopher Cripps
    Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France

    Biography

    Mr Christopher Cripps is an experienced leader in International Higher Education with over three decades of expertise in Strategy, Development, Transnational Education, Study Abroad, Executive Education, Corporate Relations, Branding, and Marketing. Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of developing innovative strategies that enhance global academic partnerships and international engagement.

    Since June 2024, Mr Cripps has served as Vice-President for Europe and International Affairs at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France. Prior to this role, he was Senior Advisor for Global Engagement and Diplomatic Affairs to the President of Sorbonne University, France. He has also held significant positions as Director of International Affairs at Sorbonne University, PSL University, Ecole Centrale Paris (now CentraleSupélec), and Grenoble Ecole de Management, providing him with a broad understanding of French higher education across multiple sectors, including business schools, engineering institutions, and universities.

    His proven track record of designing and executing successful international strategies, forming high-impact partnerships between leading universities, establishing overseas campuses, and fostering relationships between academia and the global corporate sector has taken him across the globe. He has worked extensively in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, China, India, Brazil, and the Middle East.

    Mr Cripps served as an expert on a panel commissioned by the French Prime Minister’s Office to advise on the internationalisation of French Higher Education (2015-2016). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and International Relations from the United States and an MBA from the United Kingdom. He is also a frequent conference speaker, a consultant, and a certified professional coach.

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | Internationalisation of Higher Education in France: Challenges and Opportunities
    Paolo Sabbatini
    World Sinology Center, China

    Biography

    Professor Paolo Sabbatini is currently Ambassador for Cultural Communications between Italy and China at the World Sinology Center, China. He is also an emeritus senior member of the Italian Foreign Service and an International Spokesperson for Public and Cultural Diplomacy, interacting with entities such as the European Union and the United Nations. As such, he teaches how to incorporate diplomacy and international relations in every field of culture and economics. Professor Sabbatini is a member of several academic institutions, among which the Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia, Italy; ECPD/UPeace University established by the United Nations in Belgrade, Serbia; and several Chinese Universities.

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | The Future of Cultural Diplomacy: The Legacy of Marco Polo
    Panel Discussion (2025) | Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace
    Anne Boddington
    IAFOR, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Anne Boddington is Executive Vice-President and Provost of IAFOR, and oversees the academic programs, research and policies of the forum.

    Anne Boddington is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation and has held executive and senior leadership roles in Higher Education including as Dean of Arts & Humanities at the University of Brighton, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, Business & Innovation at Kingston and Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Middlesex University.

    In 2022 she concluded chairing the Sub Panel (32) for Art & Design: History, Practice & Theory as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) and has extensive experience in the governance and conduct of peer review, research evaluation and assessment in REF2014 (Sub Panel Deputy Chair and Equality Diversity Advisory Panel [EDAP]) and RAE2008. A former member of AHRC’s Advisory Board, she is the current Chair of the Advisory Board for the UKRI’s National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme (£30M), Deputy Chair and a Trustee of the Design Council, the government’s strategic advisor for design, and a member of both the InnoHK Scientific Committee (Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).

    Since the 1990’s Anne has worked across the UK and internationally with a wide range of quality assurance, professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and India.

    As an independent consultant she now works as a strategic advisor and mentor and is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in practice, developing effective governance, supporting career development, reducing bureaucracy, and improving organisational design, integrity, and productivity in the changing workplace.

    Previous Presentations

    Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis
    Takehiro Kano
    United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France

    Biography

    Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Takehiro Kano is the Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, a position he has held since 2023. He possesses extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations, cultivated through various high-ranking roles within Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and other government institutions.

    Ambassador Kano graduated from the University of Tokyo, Japan, with a Bachelor of Law in 1989 and later earned a Master of Economics from Selwyn College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom. Since joining MOFA in 1989, he has held influential positions such as Director of the Climate Change Division, International Cooperation Bureau, and Director General of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department.

    His diplomatic career included key postings as Minister at Japan’s Permanent Mission to the International Organisations in Vienna, Austria, and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. Additionally, Ambassador Kano served as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo from 2012-2014.

    A prolific author, Ambassador Kano has published works on international peace cooperation, climate change negotiations, and nuclear diplomacy, including Environmental Diplomacy: Climate Change Negotiations and Global Governance (Sinzansha Publisher Co.,Ltd, 2013), Nuclear Diplomacy: A Perspective from Vienna, the City of IAEA (Shinzansha Publisher Co.,Ltd, 2017), and Japan’s international peace cooperation: time to move on (‘Diplomacy’ Vol 81, Sep-Oct. 2023). His breadth of expertise, particularly in global governance and security policy, positions him as a leading figure in Japan’s international diplomatic efforts and the nation’s contributions to UNESCO's global initiatives.

    Previous Presentations

    Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis
    Georges Depeyrot
    French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France

    Biography

    Georges Depeyrot is a monetary historian at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, France. He began his scientific career in the 1970s studying coin finds and joined the CNRS in 1982. He later joined the Center for Historical Research in the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) and is now an emeritus research director and professor at ENS. After his habilitation (1992), he specialised in international cooperative programs that aim to reconsider monetary history in a global approach. He has directed many cooperative programs linking several European countries, including those situated at the continent’s outer borders, such asGeorgia, Armenia, Poland, Russia, Morocco, China, and Japan. Professor Depeyrot is the author or co-author of more than one hundred volumes, and is the founding director of the Moneta publishing house, the most important collection of books – around 210 volumes – on the topic of money. He is also the founding director of a collection of books on heritage. Professor Depeyrot was a member of the board of trustees of the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique in Paris, France.

    Grant Black
    Chuo University, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Grant Black is a professor in the Faculty of Commerce at Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan, where he has taught Global Skills and Global Issues since 2013. Grant is engaged in diverse roles as a global manager, systems builder, executive leader and university professor. His research and teaching areas include global management skills, intercultural intelligence (CQ) and organisational management. He also has taught Japanese Management Theory at J. F. Oberlin University (Japan), and a continuing education course in the Foundations of Japanese Zen Buddhism at Temple University Japan. Previously, he was Chair of the English Section at the Center for Education of Global Communication at the University of Tsukuba where he served in a six-year post in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He holds a BA Highest Honors in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara; an MA in Japanese Buddhist Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a Doctor of Social Science (DSocSci) from the Department of Management in the School of Business at the University of Leicester. Dr Black is a Chartered Manager (CMgr), the highest status that can be achieved in the management profession in the UK. In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). Grant is President of Black Inc. Consulting (Japan), a Tokyo-based firm specialising in international and intercultural project management, communication projects, and executive leadership and training. He is the director of the Nippon Academic Management Institute (NAMI) and the author of Education Reform Policy at a Japanese Super Global University: Policy Translation, Migration and Mutation (Routledge, 2022). He serves as a Vice-President for the International Academic Forum (IAFOR).

    Forum Discussion (2025) | Cooperating in Difficult Times: Global Citizenship and Interdisciplinarity

    Previous Presentations

    Panel Presentation (2022) | Presentation and International Discussion on The Cambridge Handbook of Undergraduate Research
    Donald E. Hall
    Binghamton University, United States

    Biography

    Donald E. Hall is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Binghamton University (SUNY), USA. He was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at the University of Rochester, USA, and held a previous position as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University, USA. Provost Hall has published widely in the fields of British Studies, Gender Theory, Cultural Studies, and Professional Studies. Over the course of his career, he served as Jackson Distinguished Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English (and previously Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages) at West Virginia University. Before that, he was Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English at California State University, Northridge, where he taught for 13 years. He is a recipient of the University Distinguished Teaching Award at CSUN, was a visiting professor at the National University of Rwanda, was Lansdowne Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Victoria (Canada), was Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Cultural Studies at Karl Franzens University in Graz, Austria, and was Fulbright Specialist at the University of Helsinki. He has also taught in Sweden, Romania, Hungary, and China. He served on numerous panels and committees for the Modern Language Association (MLA), including the Task Force on Evaluating Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion, and the Convention Program Committee. In 2012, he served as national President of the Association of Departments of English. From 2013-2017, he served on the Executive Council of the MLA.

    His current and forthcoming work examines issues such as professional responsibility and academic community-building, the dialogics of social change and activist intellectualism, and the Victorian (and our continuing) interest in the deployment of instrumental agency over our social, vocational, and sexual selves. Among his many books and editions are the influential faculty development guides, The Academic Self and The Academic Community, both published by Ohio State University Press. Subjectivities and Reading Sexualities: Hermeneutic Theory and the Future of Queer Studies were both published by Routledge Press. Most recently he and Annamarie Jagose, of the University of Auckland, co-edited a volume titled The Routledge Queer Studies Reader. Though he is a full-time administrator, he continues to lecture worldwide on the value of a liberal arts education and the need for nurturing global competencies in students and interdisciplinary dialogue in and beyond the classroom.

    Previous Presentations

    Keynote Presentation (2023) | There is No New Normal
    Ljiljana Markovic
    European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD), Serbia

    Biography

    Ljiljana Markovic is a Professor of Japanese Studies in the European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD) of the United Nations University for Peace, and Special Advisor to the Executive Director and ECPD Academic Director. She is also a Visiting Professor at Toho University and Osaka University, Japan, and Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Italy.

    Professor Markovic is the author of a large number of publications in the fields of Japanese Studies and Economics. She completed her bachelor’s and master's degrees at Cambridge University, United Kingdom, before pursuing her doctorate at Chuo University, Japan. For many years, she was a Professor at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, with terms as Dean (2016-2020) and Vice Dean of Financial Affairs (2008-2016). She has served as the Chairperson of the International Silk Road Academic Studies Symposium since 2017.

    Professor Markovic received the Gaimu Daijin Sho Award from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2010. In the following year, she received the Dositej Obradovic Award for Pedagogical Achievement. Professor Markovic recent accolades include the Medal of Merit by the President of Serbia in 2020, the Isidora Sekulic Medal for Academic Achievement in 2021, and the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Rosette) in 2022, an Imperial Decoration awarded by the Government of Japan for her "outstanding contribution to establishing and improving friendly relations with Japan”.

    Workshop Presentation (2025) | Senior Academic Leadership

    Previous Presentations

    Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis
    Joseph Haldane
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

    Biography

    Joseph Haldane is the founder, chairman, and CEO of IAFOR. He is responsible for devising strategy, setting policies, forging institutional partnerships, implementing projects, and overseeing the organisation’s global business and academic operations.

    Dr Haldane has a PhD from the University of London in nineteenth-century French studies (ULIP/RHUL), and has research interests in world history and politics; international education; and governance and decision making. Since 2015, he has been a Guest Professor at Osaka University’s School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), and Co-Director of the OSIPP-IAFOR Research Centre since 2017.

    In 2020, Dr Haldane was elected Honorary Professor of University College London (UCL) through the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, and full Professor in the United Nations Peace University's European Center for Peace and Development in 2022. A member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network for global governance, he holds visiting professorships at Belgrade and Doshisha Universities where he teaches ethics and governance. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

    Professor Haldane has had full-time faculty positions at the Université Paris-Est Créteil, Sciences Po Paris, and Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, as well as visiting positions at the French Press Institute (Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas), and the Schools of Journalism of Sciences Po Paris and Moscow State University.

    Dr Haldane has been invited to speak at universities and conferences globally, including the UN HQ in New York, and advised universities, NGOs and governments on issues relating to international education policy, public-private partnerships, and multi-stakeholder forums. He was the project lead on the 2019 Kansai Resilience Forum, held by the Japanese Government through the Prime Minister’s Office and oversaw the 2021 Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned study on Infectious Diseases on Cruise Ships.