The International Academic Forum

IAFOR
Abbreviation IAFOR
Motto "International, Intercultural, Interdisciplinary"
Formation 2009
Type Think tank
Headquarters Nagoya, Japan
President and CEO
 Joseph Haldane
Website www.iafor.org

The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) is an interdisciplinary think tank, conference organiser and publisher based in Japan, with offices in Nagoya and Kobe. Established in 2009 with the slogan “International, Intercultural, Interdisciplinary”,[1] the organisation's mission is to facilitate dialogue, information exchange and networking between academics and researchers from all over the world. Over 15,000 speakers and leading academics have presented their research at IAFOR’s events in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, which are supported by its global institutional partners and network of International Advisory Board members.[2] IAFOR publishes a number of peer-reviewed open-access academic journals, an online magazine, THINK, and runs three international arts awards.

History

IAFOR was founded by Dr Joseph Haldane in Nagoya, Japan, in 2009 after he became frustrated by the lack of communication, interaction and information exchange between academics from different nations, cultures and disciplines. His objective was "to provide an opportunity for serious and thoughtful exchange between academics, members of the global business community, and practitioners in the fields of human endeavor". The late Professor Stuart D. B. Picken (1942-2016) became the first Chairman of the IAFOR International Advisory Board (IAB) in 2009. Professor Picken, who was also Chairman of the Japan Society of Scotland,[3] was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure[4] in 2007 for his devotion to increasing cultural, intellectual and religious understanding between Japan and the West.

Conferences

IAFOR’s first international conference was The Asian Conference on Education in 2009, which continues to be a flagship annual event. The organisation now holds approximately 40 conferences a year in Kobe (Japan), Brighton (UK), Barcelona (Spain), Dubai (UAE) and Hawaii (USA). Academic focus for each of the conferences is roughly centred on the following interdisciplinary areas: Education; Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences, Sustainability, Energy and the Environment; Cultural and Area Studies; Media, Film and Journalism; Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences; Technology, Education, Information and Society; Language Learning.[5]

Each interdisciplinary study area is assigned an International Director of Programme and a team of IAB members, made up of distinguished academics in related fields. They are tasked with driving and shaping the conference programmes, providing counsel, and suggesting and approving directions of development.

Notable IAFOR IAB members and speakers have included Professor Michael A. Cusumano (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), Professor Svetlana G. Ter-Minasova (Moscow State University, Russia), Professor Don Brash (New Zealand politician), Professor Anne Boddington (University of Brighton, UK), Sir Kenneth Calman (University of Glasgow, UK), Professor Sue Jackson (Birkbeck, University of London, UK), Lord Charles Bruce, Professor Yozo Yokota (Center for Human Rights Affairs, Japan), Professor Arthur Stockwin OBE (University of Oxford, UK), Professor Bill Ashcroft (University of New South Wales, Australia).

Awards

IAFOR runs three arts awards, each aiming to promote and nurture activity in their respective media.

The IAFOR Documentary Photography Award supports the professional development of emerging documentary photographers and photojournalists through mentorship, equipment and monetary rewards for winners.[6] It is judged by a panel of leading professionals in the fields of documentary photography and photojournalism, including its founding judge, Dr Paul Lowe (University of the Arts London / Panos Pictures). Guest judges have included Ed Kashi (VII Photo Agency), Simon Norfolk, Emma Bowkett and Simon Roberts. The award is supported by World Press Photo, University of the Arts London, British Journal of Photography, Metro Imaging,[7] RMIT, MediaStorm,[8] Think Tank Photo and the Medill School of Journalism.

The IAFOR Documentary Film Award is an open competition that seeks to inspire activity in the medium and reward both professional and up-and-coming documentary filmmakers.

Founded in 2010 by His Excellency Dr Drago Štambuk, then Croatian Ambassador to Japan, the IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award is an open competition for haiku written in the English language. Supported by the Haiku International Association and the World Haiku Association, the award aims to grow the international exposure, activity and appeal of the poetry form beyond its roots in Japan. Winners of the award are published in the annual IAFOR Haiku Anthology.

Publications

IAFOR publishes thirteen peer-reviewed open-access journals: IAFOR Journal of Education, IAFOR Journal of Literature & Librarianship, IAFOR journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities, IAFOR Journal of Social Sciences, IAFOR Journal of Politics, Economics & Law, IAFOR Journal of Language Learning, IAFOR Journal of Media, Communication & Film, IAFOR Journal of Business & Management, IAFOR Journal of Sustainability, Energy & the Environment, IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies, IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies and IAFOR Journal of Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences. All of IAFOR’s journals are freely available to read online and free of author publication fees.[9]

THINK, The Academic Platform, is IAFOR’s interdisciplinary online magazine. THINK publishes articles from notable authors and academics covering a wide range of themes designed to appeal to and provide a platform for the global academic community.

Partners

IAFOR is associated with and supported by a number of prominent universities and institutions, which help to shape, promote and develop IAFOR’s events. Current partners include:

References

  1. ↑ "IAFOR | Organisation". iafor.org. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  2. ↑ "IAFOR | The Executive Council of the International Advisory Board". iafor.org. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  3. ↑ "Japan Society of Scotland" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "Stuart Picken". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  5. ↑ "IAFOR | Conferences". iafor.org. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  6. ↑ "IAFOR Documentary Photography Award". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  7. ↑ "Metro partners IAFOR Documentary Photography Award 2016 - Metro Imaging". Metro Imaging. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  8. ↑ "MediaStorm Sponsors IAFOR Documentary Photography Award". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  9. ↑ "IAFOR | IAFOR Journals". iafor.org. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
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