

Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact
Waseda University
“Rigorous Research, Real Impact” showcases knowledgeable Waseda University researchers active in the fields of the social sciences and the humanities. From Season 2, which began streaming on Sept. 23, 2025, guests converse casually with PhD student hosts about their rigorously conducted research, their experience working in Japan at Waseda, and the merits of the English-based degree programs they are a part of in short 15-minutes episodes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 19, 2024 • 17min
Stories of Statelessness: An Auto-Ethnographical Account Part 2 (Invisible Individuals: Real Barriers; Rights, Identity, Justice)
Waseda University Professor Lara Tienshi Chen (School of International Liberal Studies) serves as the guest expert again for episode two of "Rigorous Research, Real Impact". Professor Chen was raised in Yokohama, Japan and spent more than 30 years of her life categorized as “stateless”. In episode two, she introduces the advocacy work she does through her NPO Stateless Network and talks about moonlighting as a documentary filmmaker. She also explains her very difficult decision to ultimately take up Japanese citizenship.
Link to the transcript here:
https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/82589
About the Guest:
Professor Lara Tienshi Chen, School of International Liberal Studies
Professor Chen obtained her PhD in International Political Economy from the University of Tsukuba. She went on to conduct research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Harvard University, and the University of Tokyo. She worked for the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka prior to joining Waseda's School of International Liberal Studies in 2013. Professor Chen is also the founder of the NPO Stateless Network and works closely with the student volunteer club Stateless Network Youth.

Nov 5, 2024 • 16min
Stories of Statelessness: An Auto-Ethnographical Account Part 1 (From Statelessness to Advocacy, Prof. Lara Tienshi Chen)
Waseda University Professor Lara Tienshi Chen (School of International Liberal Studies) serves as the guest expert for the first two episodes of "Rigorous Research, Real Impact". Professor Chen was raised in Yokohama, Japan but spent more than 30 years of her life categorized as “stateless”. In episode one, she shares her personal experience living as a stateless person and recounts how this influenced her decision to research statelessness, culminating in her book “Stateless.” Prof. Chen then draws the line between her life experience and her current work at Waseda, where she continues to positively impact society by advocating for stateless people both in Japan and across the world.
Link to the transcript here:
https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/82406
About the Guest:
Professor Lara Tienshi Chen, School of International Liberal Studies
Professor Chen obtained her PhD in International Political Economy from the University of Tsukuba. She went on to conduct research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Harvard University, and the University of Tokyo. She worked for the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka prior to joining Waseda's School of International Liberal Studies in 2013. Professor Chen is also the founder of the NPO Stateless Network and works closely with the student volunteer club Stateless Network Youth.


