Event

Ideologies/Stereotypes that Japanese-learners of English take to class

Thursday, November 24th, 2011, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Speaker: Laurel Kamada

Ideologies/Stereotypes that Japanese-learners of English take to class: Identities of "Japaneseness" and "The Other" from Elementary School to University.

This presentation looks at ideologies and stereotypes that Japanese learners of English take to class with them by reporting on two studies. One is a Monkashou-sponsored project in elementary schools around Japan looking at how children perceive themselves as Japanese and also their images of foreigners and mixed-ethnic (half) people in Japan. The other study examined how university students expressed themselves concerning various intercultural communication topics from the standpoint of their own identities as Japanese. Results showed that both children and university students were often not aware of their biased and stereotypical worldviews. Even while both children and students expressed their awareness of newer, globalizing ideologies of diversity, they still tended to reveal stereotypical notions of foreigners in Japan by often drawing on older, dominant discourses of homogeneity, conformity and gender inequality to express themselves. Finally, I look at the effects of English education over time on these ideologies.

Organization: Akita Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Akita JALT)

Cost: free

Venue: Akita International University, D - 105 (Main Lecture Hall Building next to the Library)

Location: Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan

Contact Akita JALT

Suzuki Takeshi

Work phone: 0184-22-1562