2026.05.14
Research Results
Book Announcement
Publication of Thinking Across Boundaries for the Study of International Liberal Arts
Ioannis Gaitanidis, Associate Professor
Department of Japanese Religion and Intellectual History
Thinking Across Boundaries, One Kanji at a Time — A Textbook on Transdisciplinary Thinking
"Believe," "move," "create" — familiar words in daily life, yet ones that take on entirely new dimensions in certain academic contexts. This book offers a fresh approach to learning: using individual kanji characters as entry points, it guides readers toward a way of thinking that genuinely spans disciplines.
Universities today increasingly call for education that bridges the humanities and the sciences. However, crossdisciplinary and transdisciplinary programs often fall short, placing different fields side by side without really bringing them into conversation. This book tackles that gap directly. Rather than surveying academic disciplines, it invites readers to discover connections between them on their own terms — starting from kanji characters they already know.
Each of the fifteen chapters takes a single kanji, deeply embedded in everyday language, and traces the different meanings it generates across fields such as sociology, history, language education, and religious studies. The aim is not to master any one discipline, but to develop a habit of mind that moves fluidly between them. A rewarding read for university students and curious minds alike!
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