April 2020 | Vol. 7 | www.sylff org The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Syl) Program SYLFF SUPPORT PROGRAMS The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund, or Sylff, is a fellowship program Research for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences at 69 universities and consortia Sylff Research Abroad (SRA) For Current and Future Doctoral Students in 44 countries aimed at identifying and nurturing leaders who—in line with the Sylff SRA supports academic research related to a doctoral dissertation, conduct- Mission—will initiate action to transcend differences and address increasingly complex ed at a higher education institution, research institute, think tank, non-gov- issues confronting contemporary society. More than 16,000 students have received fellow- ernmental organization, private rm, etc. in a foreign country. Applicants ships since the program was launched in 1987. On the program’s 30th anniversary in are limited to past or current fellowship recipients who are PhD candidates. 2017, the Sylff Association was launched to create a single, more closely identiable com- Up to US$5,000 is awarded per successful applicant. munity among all Sylff stakeholders. It also provides additional support for fellows’ aca- demic advancement and leadership development and encourages networking and the shar- Social Action ing of knowledge within the Sylff community. Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI) For Past and Current Fellowship Recipients SLI supports Sylff fellows wishing to undertake a social action project or to organize a forum, conference, seminar, or workshop addressing social issues. MISSION Projects involving one or more Sylff fellows are eligible for an SLI award of up to US$10,000. The organizing team may include non-fellows in a subor- To identify and nurture leaders dinate or supporting capacity. who will initiate action to transcend differences in nationality, language, ethnicity, religion, and political systems and Sylff Project Grant (SPG) For Past and Current Fellowship Recipients who have the integrity, determination, and expertise to The Sylff Project Grant is intended to support fellows who, for a signicant bring about positive social change in portion of their careers, have been actively and deeply committed to helping global society and the local community. resolve issues confronting contemporary society. This grant supports innova- tive, pioneering social action projects led by Sylff fellows with an award of PHILOSOPHY up to US$100,000. SPG assumes larger-scale projects than SLI that can be sustained, enhanced, and expanded over time. The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff) seeks to develop socially engaged leaders committed to contributing to the happiness and well-being of others. Sylff Networking fellows respect viewpoints that differ from their own and dedicate themselves to promoting Sylff Leaders Workshop For Past Fellowship Recipients justice and understanding—helping doors that had been closed open to new opportunities The Sylff Leaders Workshop provides graduated fellows from diverse back- and a better future. Academic excellence is an important criterion for selection, but even grounds a forum for engaging in dialogue on current social issues. In addi- more critical is a desire to apply one’s research achievements and expertise in addressing tion to learning new facts and perspectives, participants discuss philosophi- pressing social issues. cal, ethical, moral, and value-oriented questions. During two, weeklong ses- sions in Japan, fellows also deepen their ties with one another and gain new insights into the host country. Local Association Networking Support (LANS) For Past and Current Fellowship Recipients LANS facilitates the organization of gatherings and other activities by groups of Sylff alumni, including local Sylff associations. Groups of ve or more fellows and/or alumni from the same institution can apply for a maxi- mum of US$5,000 per gathering to cover the long-distance transportation costs of participating fellows. Published by the Sylff Association Sylff Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) For Past and Current Fellowship Recipients c/o The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research SDRF supports relief activities led by Sylff fellows in the wake of large-scale Roppongi Grand Tower 34F natural disasters occurring in the vicinity of Sylff institutions. The Tokyo 3-2-1 Roppongi Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-6234 Japan Tel +81-3-5797-8402 Fax +81-3-5570-6032 Foundation for Policy Research donates US$50,000 per incident and pools [email protected] https://www.sylff.org/ https://sylff.tkfd.or.jp/ donations from other Sylff Association members. c 2020 Sylff Association April 2020 | Vol. 7 | www.sylff.org Preface am delighted to present our seventh Voices booklet showcasing the so- I cial engagement and research activities of Sylff fellows around the world. This booklet contains 25 articles that were uploaded on the Sylff website be- tween June 2018 and October 2019. Many of them are about the activities under- taken by fellows through the various support programs offered by the Sylff Asso- ciation. By grouping these articles by respective support program and compiling them into a booklet, we hope you’ll gain a clearer idea of how you can make best use of the opportunities available to advance your academic or professional career. I also hope that by reading about the experiences of fellows who are committed to making a difference, you’ll find hints on how you, too, can make a contribution to your community, country, and international society. And I would be delighted to have you follow their path and share your experiences by writing a Voices article of your own so that we can all learn from each other in building a more dynamic movement facilitating positive change in society. April 2020 Izumi Kadono Sylff Association Secretariat President, Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research Voices from the Sylff Community April 2020 Vol.7 CONTENTS Preface 2 SYLFF SUPPORT PROGRAMS Sylff Project Grant Developing an Inclusive Distribution Model Using 3D-Printed Prosthetic Legs Yutaka Tokushima Keio University 8 Sylff: Making a Significant Difference to Early Childhood Development in South Africa Louis Benjamin University of the Western Cape 12 Sylff Leaders Workshop [Report] Fall Session of Sylff Leaders Workshop 2018–19 Keita Sugai Sylff Association Secretariat 18 Holistic and Empirical Approaches to Ensuring Food Security Nuruddeen Mohammed Suleiman University of Malaya 23 An Amazing Experience in Effective Teamworking and Accountable Leadership Nermeen Varawalla INSEAD, The Business School for the World 25 Sylff Leaders Workshop: Not Only a Global Partnership but a Global Friendship Anna Plater-Zyberk Jagiellonian University 27 Designing Food for the Future Kabira Namit Princeton University 31 Thoughts Regarding Local Foods Nomingerel Davaadorj National Academy of Governance 35 A Journey in the Land of the Rising Sun Ayo Chan Peking University 39 Sylff Leadership Initiatives Carceral Logics and Social Justice: Women Prisoners in India Rimple Mehta Jadavpur University 44 Catalyzing Cultural Revitalization in Western Province, Solomon Islands Joe McCarter Victoria University of Wellington 48 Sylff Research Abroad Political Reconciliation in Postcolonial Ghana Frank Afari Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies 56 Listen to Your Uber Driver: A Comment on the Economic and Emotional Vulnerability of Uber’s Silent Partner Emma McDaid UNSW Business School 60 Beyond the Treasures? Beyond the Nation? Museum Representations of Thracian Heritage from Bulgaria Ivo Strahilov Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” 66 Local Association Networking Support JU-SYLFF LANS Meet 2019 Amrita Mukherjee, Sreerupa Bhattacharya, Moitrayee Sengupta, Sawon Chakraborty, Sudeshna Dutta, and Sujaan Mukherjee Jadavpur University 74 Program Report on the LANS Meeting Luisa Alejandra Gonzalez Barajas El Colegio de México 82 Sylff Fellows as Agents of Change Socrates Kraido Majune University of Nairobi 86 The 2018 Inaugural Sylff Fellows Networking Event in Auckland, New Zealand Tess Bartlett Massey University 91 ACROSS THE COMMUNITY Potters’ Locality: The Socioeconomics of Bankura’s Terracotta Soumya Bhowmick Jadavpur University 102 Toward an International Academic Career Mihoko Sakurai Keio University 107 Dr. Yohei Sasakawa: An Inspiration to All Joyashree Roy Jadavpur University 112 SYLFF’S SILVER JUBILEE IN CHINA Milestone Administrators Meeting in Beijing 118 25th Anniversary Ceremony and Commemorative Symposium 120 Four Universities Celebrate 25th Anniversary 123 Four Universities Celebrate 25th Anniversary in 2019 125 Yue Zhang Sylff Association Secretariat APPENDIX Support Program Awardees in 2018–19 128 2018–19 IN PICTURES Leaders with a Mission: Meetings with Sylff Fellows 2018–19 132 Sylff Support Program Sylff Project Grant (SPG) The Sylff Project Grant is intended to support fellows who, for a significant portion of their careers, have been actively and deeply committed to helping resolve issues confronting contemporary society. This grant supports innovative, pio- neering social action projects led by Sylff fellows with an award of up to US$100,000. SPG assumes larger-scale proj- ects than SLI that can be sustained, enhanced, and expanded over time. 8 Developing an Inclusive Distribution Model Using 3D-Printed Prosthetic Legs Yutaka Tokushima (Keio University) 12 Sylff: Making a Significant Difference to Early Childhood Development in South Africa Louis Benjamin (University