Japanese national identity and the positioning of English as opportunity or obstruction

Damian J. Rivers

Contemporary Japan, 2021, vol. 33, issue 1, 41-56

Abstract: As an aspirational activity, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education is a compulsory pursuit within many education systems around the world. Common to many such contexts, EFL is taught in relation to a dominant national language and therefore exists within a marginal, non-official or non-native position. However, this domestic marginalization often misaligns with the economic significance, cultural prominence and symbolic capital attributed to English, and this is evident within Japan. Therefore, the teaching of EFL to Japanese nationals within pre-tertiary education can be expected to evoke certain identity-related emotions. Despite such plain sight observations, the affective role played by dimensions of national identity within EFL education remains understudied. Through a path-analysis procedure undertaken with a university student sample, this article explores how dimensions of Japanese national identity predict the positioning of EFL as opportunity or obstruction. The study also examines how this relationship is mediated by an emotional attachment to the local and the foreign language. The research reflects an interdisciplinary exploration of identity and its affective impact upon EFL positioning within contemporary Japanese society.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1080/18692729.2020.1792188

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