“Have you ever heard the word “Stateless”?”. Most of the students put their hands up to this question.
“Now then, have you ever actually met any stateless people?”. There were no hands raised to this question.
This Global Career Course lecture was held for 10th and 11th grade students.
The lecturer was Chin Tenshi, who is a professor studying statelessness at the Waseda University Faculty of International Research and Education. She talked about the trajectory that led her to her current career, and how it led her to learn what “living globally” is.
In the beginning of she talked about herself and her own circumstances.
Mrs. Chen, who was born and raised in Chinatown in Yokohama had Taiwanese nationality. She lost her nationality in 1972, when Japan and China established diplomatic relations and no longer recognized Taiwanese as a nationality.
“Stateless means you do not have a nationality. You need a passport to go abroad. You might be suspected when you are trying to get a job, even when you rent an apartment or when you open a bank account.”
Mrs. Chen first began to feel strongly about the situation of being “Stateless” when she was a college student.
Her life included situations such as not being able to apply for a scholarship which both Japanese and international students could register for, not being able to enter Taiwan for a trip and also not being able to re-enter Japan when she tried to come back. Additionally, when she applied for a job at the United Nations she was told; “You can not be accepted because you do not have a nationality of a country which belongs to the United Nations”.
Every time she encountered such events because she was stateless, Mrs. Chen faced her “statelessness”. She realized “I can not run away from this thing” — She began studying statelessness when she was approaching graduation from graduate school.
The students were surprised by the situation of “stateless” people and what problems concerned them. They had never had heard things like that before.
They carefully listened to Mrs.Chen’s words as she was a person who actually experienced these things.
As she continued her research, she learned that there are many stateless people such as children born in international marriages and to refugee parents. She believed that this is one big social problem.
“First of all, I want everyone to know about this problem. I want to change the social system which disadvantages stateless people, and I want to build a society where stateless people can live how they want to live.”
After she expressed these feelings she continued on.
Currently, besides studying statelessness as a university professor, she is operating an NPO”Stateless Network”. She is creating a place where people suffering from statelessness can easily come in for consultations and sharing information at events relating to statelessness.
“Whatever nationality or origin one has, I think it is important to accept people as they are. Stateless people should be allowed to who they are. I wanted to make such a place and that is how I first thought about making this organization.” said Mrs. Chen.
Finally, she introduced a person she respects. “There is a doctor who loves all countries and remains stateless in the belief that he does not want to be bound by borders.”
“He was could connect with a lot of people because he was stateless and was able to contact people directly. Like him, making ties without being concerned about borders and building peace, is how I think “living globally” should be.
Her softly spoken words reached the hearts of all the students.
After the lecture, students gathered around Mrs. Chen, and asked questions about statelessness and complimented her on her activities. Some of them asked questions about their stateless friends.
Mrs. Chen answered the students’ questions one by one.
Under the new theme of statelessness, this lecture led students to learn about the importance of facing individuals as they are. They were able to learn a new perspective of “living globally” as a person.
