Researcher: Raymond Andaya

David Slater, Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Sophia University, is Project Director at Refugee Voices Japan, and faculty advisor for the Sophia Refugee Support Group (SRSG) - a student-led, volunteer-run refugee and asylum seeker support organization based at Sophia University in Tokyo. Founded in 2017, SRSG seeks to serve as a bridge between Japanese society and the community of refugees in Japan. It is one of the consultation partners for the migration subgroup of the Toyota Foundation-funded project, “Research, Mutual Learning and Network Formation on Human Rights Best Practices by Non-State Actors in COVID Responses. As the migration subgroup reported, the student-led organization faced challenges in sustaining activities, navigating funding constraints, and maintaining a sense of motivation and drive among its members amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the imperative to adapt, and to continue the indispensable work it has been doing for refugees in Japan, I am curious to find out how Prof. Slater propels SRSG’s advocacy. More importantly, how does he maneuver the organization through the intersections between the academic space and the landscape of rights advocacy?

To answer this question, I spoke to Prof. Slater as part of the Project’s concluding activities. In our conversation, we reflected on the following themes: (1) incorporating advocacy work into the learning process; (2) the benefits of a ‘student-led group’ model in organizing support for vulnerable populations; (3) the relevance of a rights-based approach in supporting refugees; (4) his role as a both a teacher and inspirer to student volunteers; and, (5) lessons from his work with SRSG which may be transferable to other non-State actors working in support of human rights protection.

Here is the Report: Professor David Slater Interview Piece for Hub and RCSP websites (March 21 1130).pdf