Kyoto Seika University (hereafter SEIKA) was founded in 1968 on the principles of respect for humanity and the spirit of freedom and autonomy. SEIKA is a four-year liberal arts university in Kyoto, Japan, offering its programs to over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students from over 20 countries. Starting in 2021, SEIKA will open two new Faculties (Global Culture and Media Creation) and a cross-disciplinary degree program (Human Environment Design) in addition to its existing faculties of Art, Design and Manga.

Since establishing the university, SEIKA has been committed to developing a progressive model for higher education in this field of study, offering experiential, locally embedded programs such as international fieldwork programs or internships in the traditional craft industries of Kyoto.  SEIKA shares HaB’s vision in the continued revision of its pedagogy and educational structure, the involvement of civil society actors in the curriculum, and the promotion of inter-disciplinary, experience-based learning. In addition, our research structure including the Research Center for African and Asian Contemporary Cultures and the Center for Innovation in Traditional Industries are significantly capable of supporting HaB activities.

Under the HaB 2.0 framework, SEIKA proposes to host scholars from the network and conduct intra- and inter-regional joint research exchange on traditional craft materials (e.g. indigo) as an entry point, as well as the development of experimental programs such as shared graduate curriculum (e.g. Masters in Global Humanities) in the future.

Contact Persons:

Dr. Manabu Kitawaki, President Office

Dr. Ayako Fujieda, Research Center for African and Asian Contemporary Cultures

Dr. Yuji Yonehara, Center for Innovation in Traditional Industries.