IAFOR > The Paris Conference on Arts and Humanities (PCAH) > PCAH2025 > Programme

Programme

Speakers at The Paris Conference on Arts & Humanities (PCAH) will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. This page provides details of presentations and other programming. For more information about presenters, please visit the Speakers page.

Tuesday, June 10 to Friday, June 13, 2025, will be held at the Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU), Paris, France. Saturday, June 14 will be held online.

Conference Outline

Tuesday, June 10, 2025Wednesday, June 11Thursday, June 12Friday, June 13Saturday, June 14

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Location: Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU)

11:30-12:30: Conference Check-in & Coffee

12:30-12:35: Announcements

12:35-13:00: Welcome Addresses & Recognition of IAFOR Scholarship Winners

13:00-14:30: Panel Presentation and Moderated Q&A Session

14:30-14:50: Coffee Break

14:50-15:15: Keynote Presentation
15:15-15:40: Q&A Session

15:45-16:10: Keynote Presentation
16:10-16:25: Q&A Session

16:25-16:40: Conference Photograph

16:40-17:40: Welcome Reception & Conference Poster Session

20:00-22:00: Conference Dinner | Bofinger
This is an optional ticketed event

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Location: Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU)

08:30-09:30: Conference Check-in & Coffee

09:30-11:10: Onsite Workshop Session

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-12:40: Onsite Parallel Session 1

12:40-12:55: Coffee Break

12:55-14:35: Onsite Parallel Session 2

14:35-14:50: Coffee Break

14:50-16:30: Onsite Parallel Session 3

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Location: Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU)

08:30-09:30: Conference Check-in & Coffee

09:30-11:10: Onsite Workshop Session

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-12:40: Onsite Parallel Session 1

12:40-12:55: Coffee Break

12:55-14:35: Onsite Parallel Session 2

14:35-14:50: Coffee Break

14:50-16:30: Onsite Parallel Session 3

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Location: Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU)

08:30-09:30: Conference Check-in & Coffee

09:30-11:10: Onsite Workshop Session

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-12:40: Onsite Parallel Session 1

12:40-12:55: Coffee Break

12:55-14:35: Onsite Parallel Session 2

14:35-14:50: Coffee Break

14:50-16:30: Onsite Parallel Session 3

16:30-16:45: Onsite Closing Session

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Conference Venue: Online via Zoom

09:55-10:00: Message from IAFOR

10:00-11:15: Online Parallel Session 1

11:15-11:25: Break

11:25-12:40: Online Parallel Session 2

12:40-12:50: Break

12:50-14:30: Online Parallel Session 3

14:30-14:40: Break

14:40-16:20: Online Parallel Session 4

16:20-16:25: Message from IAFOR

*Please be aware that the above schedule may be subject to change.

One of the greatest strengths of IAFOR’s international conferences is their international and intercultural diversity.
As of March 11, 2025, PCAH2025 has received over 370 submissions from over 72 countries and territories - including: Philippines, United States, China, Türkiye, Germany, India, Thailand, Portugal, and Canada

Accepted Presentations

Speakers

  • Anne Boddington
    Anne Boddington
    Middlesex University, United Kingdom
  • Jun Arima
    Jun Arima
    University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Christopher Cripps
    Christopher Cripps
    Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France
  • 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
  • Paolo Sabbatini
    Paolo Sabbatini
    World Sinology Center, China

Featured Presentations

  • Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace
    Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace
    Panel Presentation: Paolo Sabbatini
  • The Future of Cultural Diplomacy: The Legacy of Marco Polo
    The Future of Cultural Diplomacy: The Legacy of Marco Polo
    Keynote Presentation: Paolo Sabbatini
  • Internationalisation of Higher Education in France: Challenges and Opportunities
    Internationalisation of Higher Education in France: Challenges and Opportunities
    Keynote Presentation: Christopher Cripps

Conference Programme

The draft version of the Conference Programme will be available online on May 05, 2025. All registered delegates will be notified of this publication by email.

Important Information Emails

All registered attendees will receive an Important Information email and updates in the run-up to the conference. Please check your email inbox for something from "iafor.org". If you can not find these emails in your normal inbox, it is worth checking in your spam or junk mail folders as many programs filter out emails this way. If these did end up in one of these folders, please add the address to your acceptable senders' folder by whatever method your email program can do this.

Previous Programming

View details of programming for past PCAH conferences via the links below.

PCAH2024 PCAH2023 PCAH2022
Anne Boddington
Middlesex University, United Kingdom

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
Jun Arima
University of Tokyo, Japan

Biography

Professor Jun Arima is the President of IAFOR, and the senior academic officer of the organisation. In this role, Professor Arima is the Honorary Chair of the International Academic Advisory Board, as well as both the Academic Governing Board and its Executive Committee. He also sits on the IAFOR Board of Directors.

Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP.

Since 2015 Jun Arima has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches Energy Security, International Energy Governance, and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy. (GraSPP). He is also currently a Consulting Fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Executive Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Public Policy Institute, Principal Researcher at the International Environmental and Economic Institute (IEEI), Distinguished Senior Policy Fellow, at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environment, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and was the Lead Author, the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).

Panel Discussion (2025) | TBA

Previous Presentations

Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis
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
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
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
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
Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace
Panel Presentation: Paolo Sabbatini

Cultural diplomats personally witness how education remains one of the most powerful instruments of diplomacy today. One such example is how the Italian model of cultural diplomacy, rooted in a centuries-old tradition of academic cooperation, language promotion, and artistic exchange, has consistently demonstrated its effectiveness in fostering peace and dialogue with cultural institutions across the globe.

This panel will explore how an approach to cultural diplomacy, particularly through education, can be a successful model for international cooperation. Drawing from decades of organising diplomatic initiatives, international conferences, and cultural diplomatic experience leading cultural institutions in Shanghai, Cairo, Prague, and Brussels, panellists will illustrate how culture education has historically used language programs, academic networks, and cultural institutes as pillars of global influence.

Special attention will be given to key strengths of cultural diplomacy, such as:

  • The Cultural Institutes as centres of intercultural dialogue,
  • The language as a vehicle for engagement,
  • Strategic partnerships with universities and cultural organisations,
  • The importance of heritage preservation as a diplomatic tool.

    • The increasing role of digital education in diplomacy, reflecting on how online platforms, virtual exchanges, and cultural programming can help overcome political and geographic barriers, will also be addressed. By bridging practical experience with theoretical analysis, panellists will demonstrate and lead through discussion why cultural diplomacy – when embedded in education, historical awareness, and strategic cultural engagement – remains an essential tool for global peacebuilding.

    Read presenters' biographies
    The Future of Cultural Diplomacy: The Legacy of Marco Polo
    Keynote Presentation: Paolo Sabbatini

    Marco Polo’s legacy is not only a historical curiosity but a living paradigm of cultural diplomacy. His journey to China, meticulously documented in Il Milione (c.1300), represents one of the earliest and most influential accounts of intercultural exchange. As I explored in The Billion (2024), my book on Marco Polo curated in collaboration with Maestro Sandro Pazzi, his experiences offer valuable lessons on diplomacy beyond state actors: fostering dialogue, understanding, and intellectual synergy between civilisations.

    This keynote will examine Marco Polo’s role as a cultural intermediary, reflecting on how his narratives particularly shaped Western perceptions of China and vice versa. His encounters with Kublai Khan and his adaptation to the Yuan court demonstrate the power of cultural diplomacy as a form of mutual enrichment, rather than unilateral influence.

    Today, in a world increasingly defined by soft power, global cultural exchanges, and digital connectivity, we must ask: what can we learn from Marco Polo’s method of engagement, storytelling, and cross-cultural curiosity? This presentation will link historical lessons to contemporary diplomacy, discussing how Italy and China can leverage their cultural heritage, education, and arts as tools for mutual understanding. In an era of growing geopolitical tensions, Marco Polo’s approach reminds us that diplomacy does not only happen in embassies, but also in the realm of cultural exchange, knowledge, and human curiosity.

    Read presenter's biography
    Internationalisation of Higher Education in France: Challenges and Opportunities
    Keynote Presentation: Christopher Cripps

    France is a global leader in higher education, consistently ranking among the top six to eight destinations for international students and often standing as the leading non-English-speaking country alongside Germany among the list. Internationalisation has been a core priority for many French institutions for decades, with dedicated teams working to attract students and faculty from all over the world and develop global collaborations for academic programmes and research.

    Since the 1990s, English-taught programmes have expanded from business schools to engineering schools and, increasingly, universities, strengthening France’s appeal. Many French business and engineering schools now require students to study or work abroad for at least a semester to earn their degree, reinforcing France’s strong commitment to global mobility and the international employability of its graduates. Today, around 30-35% of students in French institutions gain significant international experience during their studies.

    Global geopolitical shifts are creating new opportunities for students facing restrictions in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, causing many of them to turn to France, where student numbers are rising thanks to a more dynamic and accessible higher education landscape. France also remains attractive to researchers in science, technology, and the humanities, benefiting from world-class institutions and cutting-edge research.

    However, challenges persist. The French language can be a barrier, and France is not always a first-choice destination for students and academics from key growth markets such as India and South Korea. Strengthening these ties requires proactive engagement and clear messaging on France’s academic excellence.

    This keynote will explore how France is working to build on its strengths while addressing challenges, drawing comparisons with internationalisation models in other countries to identify best practices and strategies for the future.

    Read presenter's biography