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Ideology, Agency, and Intercultural Communicative Competence

A Stratified Look into EFL Education in Japan

Authors:

  • Provides rich ethnographic accounts of an under-researched stratum of the Japanese EFL system
  • Offers nuanced analyses of ideological discourses and practices embedded in Japanese foreign language education
  • Looks beyond the simple task of “reading off” ideology from spoken and written texts, towards an exploration of the relative importance of ideology to pedagogical discourse and practice
  • Further refines existing theory and practice in the fields of applied linguistics and ideology research
  • Serves as a point of reference for the study of parallel nationalist discourses embedded in foreign language education systems around the world
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Intercultural Communication and Language Education (ICLE)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxix
  2. Exploring the Japanese EFL Classroom

    • Jeremie Bouchard
    Pages 1-18
  3. ICC, Nihonjinron and Native-Speakerism

    • Jeremie Bouchard
    Pages 19-69
  4. Theoretical Groundwork

    • Jeremie Bouchard
    Pages 71-120
  5. Methodological Groundwork

    • Jeremie Bouchard
    Pages 121-157
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 355-368

About this book

Associated with an important epistemological shift from language proficiency to language criticality in applied linguistic research, this book provides a sociological perspective on foreign language education in Japan. By employing ethnographic methods to investigate the relationship between three core analytical elements – foreign language education geared towards the development of learners’ intercultural communicative competence; nihonjinron and native-speakerism as potentially constraining ideological forces; and EFL practices observed at four Japanese junior high schools – the author not only shares valuable insights into how English is taught and learned in a stratum of the Japanese EFL system which has received limited attention from researchers over the years, but also clarifies the fundamental and complex changes currently taking place in the Japanese EFL landscape. 

This multi-faceted book also calls for greater consideration in postmodern ideology critique for the stratified nature of social processes as well as the material conditions and underlying generative mechanisms involved in the production and consumption of (including resistance to) ideological discourse. Accordingly, it outlines several challenges shaping ideology research in educational settings, and responds by developing a realist-oriented theoretical and methodological approach to address these challenges. This book serves as a unique point of reference for the study of parallel nationalist discourses embedded in foreign language education systems around the world.



Authors and Affiliations

  • Hokkai Gakuen University, Sapporo, Japan

    Jeremie Bouchard

About the author

Jeremie Bouchard holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Birmingham, UK and is currently a member of the Faculty of Humanities at Hokkai Gakuen University, Sapporo, Japan. His research centres on the sociological aspects of EFL education in Japanese secondary schools, notably how observed educational processes emerge from the complex mediation between cultural, structural and agentive forces.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Ideology, Agency, and Intercultural Communicative Competence

  • Book Subtitle: A Stratified Look into EFL Education in Japan

  • Authors: Jeremie Bouchard

  • Series Title: Intercultural Communication and Language Education

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3926-3

  • Publisher: Springer Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-10-3925-6Published: 06 April 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-13-5000-9Published: 11 December 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-10-3926-3Published: 30 March 2017

  • Series ISSN: 2520-1735

  • Series E-ISSN: 2520-1743

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIX, 368

  • Number of Illustrations: 114 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Language Education, Sociology of Education

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access