Dr Ria Shibata
Dr Ria Shibata earned her Masters degree in global studies from Sophia University, and Ph.D. in peace and conflict studies from the University of Otago, New Zealand.
She is the Centre’s first Senior Research Fellow, with the support of Toda Peace Institute (Tokyo). She is also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Auckland.
Her primary research interest is in conflict resolution and reconciliation in Northeast Asia with particular focus on the intricate aspects of national identity, historical memory, and competitive victimhood. One of her interests lies in understanding the way collective memories of historical traumas shape a group’s identity, often acting as impediments in restoring damaged relationships between the aggrieved and the aggressor.
Dr Shibata also focuses on the risks and challenges of climate change in the Pacific region. She is currently the principal investigator for Toda Peace Institute’s research project exploring the nexus of climate change, migration, the threat of land loss, and cultural identity for the Pacific Island communities.
Dr Shibata’s recent publications include:
Shibata, Ria, Boege, Volker & Carroll, Seforosa (Eds.) (2024 forthcoming). Climate change and conflict in the Pacific: Challenges and responses. London: Routledge.
Shibata, Ria. (2021) Climate change in the Pacific: Land, identity, and security. Peace Review, 34, 22-30.
Shibata, Ria. (2021). Competitive victimhood, reconciliation and intergenerational responsibility. In K. P. Clements & Lee, SY. (Eds.), Multi-level reconciliation and peacebuilding: Stakeholder perspectives. (pp. 187-205). London: Routledge.
Miall, Hugh & Shibata, Ria. (2020). Open hearts, open minds: Trust, confidence and security building in Northeast Asia. Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament.
Shibata, Ria. (2020). Japanese inherited responsibility and memory of the war. In R. Sakamoto & S. Epstein (Eds.), Popular culture and the transformation of Japan-Korea relations. London: Routledge.
Boege, Volker & Shibata, Ria. (2020). “Climate Change, Relocation and Peacebuilding in Fiji: Challenges, Debates and Ways Forward.” Toda Peace Institute Policy Paper No. 97, November issue.
Shibata, Ria. (2018). Nationalism, identity, and threats in Northeast Asia. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, 13(3).
Shibata, Ria. (2017) Apology and forgiveness in East Asia. In K. P. Clements (Ed.), Identity, trust and reconciliation in East Asia: Dealing with painful history to create a peaceful present (pp. 271-297). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.