Global Wisdom: Reimagining Coexistence, Power, and Leadership

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This lecture is conducted as part of the 9th Annual SMU-Soka International Peace Symposium

Synopsis

Standing at the crossroads of humanity, our work today requires us to imagine new possibilities. Do we act on fear and step back into darkness, or do we trust ourselves to reimagine and move forward into the unknown? Reimagining coexistence, power, and leadership will require global wisdom, engagement, and praxis. It is time to courageously act with purpose and intentionality, relearn dialogue, and engage young people in co-creation and redesign. Recognising the urgency, let us experience happiness and suffering and hold on to hope and possibility. Now is the time to reweave the fabric of society. We know better. We can do better.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Maria Guajardo is a Professor of Leadership Studies at Soka University, Japan, and previously served as Dean and Vice-President. Her research is at the intersection of leadership, global learning, and critical pedagogy. Her books include Value-Creating Education: Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices (Bosio & Guajardo, 2024) and the forthcoming book, Global Leadership for an Equitable, Resilient, and Sustainable Future (Guajardo et al., 2025). She is a scholar, author, international facilitator/coach, and motivational speaker. She received the University of Denver Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award and the Soka University Award of Highest Honor. For her contribution to education in the United States, Maria was awarded a Congressional Commendation.

Moderator Biography

Justin Tse is Assistant Professor of Religion and Culture (Education) at SMU’s College of Integrative Studies. He is the author of Sheets of Scattered Sand: Cantonese Protestants and the Secular Dream of the Pacific Rim (University of Notre Dame Press, 2024) and co-editor with Lily Kong and Orlando Woods of the Handbook of Geographies of Religion (Springer, 2025). In addition to Big Questions, he teaches Publics and Privates on the Pacific Rim and Sovereignties and Secularities: Political Theology in Postcolonial and Planetary Context.

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Global Wisdom: Reimagining Coexistence, Power, and Leadership

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