現在、国家の枠組みを越えた様々な人の移動が重要性を増してきています。しかし、国境を越える人間の移動は、必ずしも近年になって起きた問題ではありません。例えば、有史以来の文化の伝来、貿易や技術の移動、植民地経営など、世界史の中で時代を越えて続いてきた事象であるとも言えます。こうした歴史の意味を念頭に置きつつ、それでもなお、現代に特有の問題として捉えられる現象を、いま一度構造的に考えていきたいというのが、今回のセッションの目的です。

　そこで第一に考えられるのが、移民労働者や難民など、貧困と開発の矛盾、民族紛争や南北格差の問題から生じる人の移動です。国家の福祉政策からの排除や差別、国や地球規模のガバナンス機能の不全や民族紛争の中で、どのように「人間の安全保障」を確立していけるのでしょうか。

　第二に、人の移動は必ずしもマイナス要因のみではありません。文化の接触は、摩擦を生じると同時に新たな文化の創造を生み、一国の排他的な文化を超える契機を含んでいます。旅行や留学、海外での仕事を通じて他者と接触することによって、私たちはどのような国際社会を形成していけるのでしょうか。

　第三に、こうした現状への対応として、地域的機構やNGOの活動があります。人やモノ、サービスの自由移動を掲げるＥＵは、ソーシャル・ヨーロッパという新たな目標を設定していますし、ＮＧＯは国家の限界を超えた援助を目指しています。

　このセミナーは、古くて新しい問題である「国境を越える人の移動」を、歴史構造、現状分析、文化・社会変容、各国や国際機関、NGOの対応といった多様な観点から考える機会を提供することを目的としています。そして様々な分野の専門家からの講義を通して、参加者の皆さんと共に考え、議論していきます。

Within the context of changing international relations in the 21st century, the UNU Global Seminar 18th Shonan Session, organized jointly by the United Nations University (UNU) and the Kanagawa Foundation for Academic and Cultural Exchange (K-FACE), will explore the motivations of people to move across borders and its meanings.

The movement of people across national borders is becoming increasingly significant throughout the world. It is not, however, a recent phenomenon. As exemplified by the abundance of cross-cultural contacts since the dawn of history, including the emergence of trade, technology transfer, colonial systems, etc., world history is replete with instances of people relocating themselves. While careful reflection on the significance of historical developments is crucial, it is also necessary to carry out a thorough examination of phenomena that are peculiar to present times. This will be the goal of this year’s session.

Firstly, attention needs to be drawn to the underlying problems which motivate migrant workers and refugees around the world to move from one place to another. Such problems include poverty, contradictions in development strategies, ethnic disputes, the ever-expanding gap between the North and the South. When recognizing the selective, and sometimes even discriminatory, character of states’ welfare policies along with ethnic disputes and flaws in national and global governance mechanisms, the question that needs to be asked is: “How is it possible to ensure human security?”

Secondly, the migration of people across borders should not necessarily be seen as negative. While contact with other cultures can cause frictions, inter-cultural encounters can also spur the creation of new culture and offer a chance to surpass the limitations of a particular culture. In this context, the major question is: “How can we establish a truly international society through contacts with others by means of travel, studying or working abroad?”

Thirdly, regional and non-governmental organizations are responding to the present situation. The European Union, for example, pursues its goal of creating a “Social Europe” by supporting the free movement of people, goods and services within its territorial limits. NGOs, on the other hand, are aiming to offer help in realms where government attention is lacking.

The aim of this seminar is to offer participants an opportunity to consider old and new issues relating to people’s movement across borders from various perspectives, including historical developments, present-day analyses, socio-cultural transformations, as well as the responses of governments, international organizations and NGOs. The seminar will include lectures by specialists as well as discussions based on the active input of all participants.