Presentation Schedule
The Forum (Online): The Role of the Arts & Humanities in Troubling Times: Part II
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Friday, 19 June 2026 09:00
Session: Featured Session
Room: Live-Stream Room 1
Presentation Type: Forum Discussion
Education, and the arts and humanities in particular, act as a positive force in framing and understanding the many contentious issues we collectively face in the pursuit of a sustainable world. In times that are increasingly uncertain, hostile, and contentious, and in which national governments focus on productivity, efficiency, technology, and security, considerations of humanity, human intelligence, and the wider common good are often ignored.
In Part I of this Forum series held at the IAFOR Summer event in Tokyo in May 2026, delegates discussed whether the arts and humanities have made a sufficient case for their value to governments and wider society today. One of the main conclusions was that the case has always been there, but the problem lies in communication.
While we all know why the arts and humanities are vital and important, how do we define their worth in a hostile environment to those constituencies: funders, politicians, employers, and parents? What words and concepts will resonate? What are the directly and indirectly transferable skills that are used?
In Part II of this three-part series, this Forum session invites participants to build on Part 1 and discuss how we can effectively communicate the value of the arts and humanities to those who are aware of it but may be more inclined towards short-term achievements, financial stability, progress, and growth.
Speaker Biography
Apipol Sae-Tung
Apipol Sae-Tung is an Academic Coordinator at IAFOR, where he contributes to the development and execution of academic-related content and activities. He works closely with the Forum’s partner institutions and coordinates IAFOR’s Global Fellowship Programme. His recent activities include mediating conference reports for the Forum’s international conference programme and facilitating the IAFOR Undergraduate Research Symposium (IURS).
Mr Sae-Tung began his career as a Program Coordinator for the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He was awarded the Japanese Government’s MEXT Research Scholarship and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan. His research focuses on government and policy analysis, particularly on authoritarian regimes. Mr Sae-Tung holds an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Thammasat University, Thailand, where he studied foreign policy analysis and Thailand-China relations. He also holds a BA in History from the same institution.
About the Presenter(s)
Apipol Sae-Tung is an Academic Coordinator at IAFOR.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule
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