Book Review

Crossing Boundaries andWeaving Intercultural Work, Life,and Scholarship in Globalizing
Universities
Edited by Adam Komisarof and Zhu Hua, Routledge (2016)(204 pages) ISBN 978-1-138-82535-2 Cost 13,218 yen
Reviewed by Teresa A. Koide
Tsuda College
As a part-time lecturer at various universities in Japan, I recently uncovered
three acts of plagiarism in an academic writing course. Feeling disheartened andconfused, I consulted a trusted colleague, who also happened to be a Japanesenational and full-time professor. After receiving much encouragement andpraise from her, I was told, “Thank you for your support and hard work withour students.” Though her statement was well intentioned, it left me feeling asa visitor to the college, though in fact, this is my third year working part-time atthis institution. Why is it so hard for foreign lecturers, both full- and part-time,to achieve a sense of belongingness at colleges and universities in Japan? Whatcan be done to shift the language from “our” students to “your” students?
Crossing Boundaries and Weaving Intercultural Work, Life, and Scholarshipin Globalizing Universities presents personal accounts from transnational
scholars about the challenges they have faced working abroad at institutionsof higher education. The scholars hail from Belgium, China, France, Germany,Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Iran, and the United States. These individuals work
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Koidein such diverse locations as Australia, England, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia,
New Zealand, Norway, and the United States. Each author shares the path they
followed, including the hurdles they encountered, while acculturating to theirforeign work environments. The employment of various strategies led to a senseof belonging and inclusion for many of them, and that contributed to theirprofessional success.
The editors and their contributors are clearly accomplished scholars. Editor
Adam Komisarof is a professor in Keio University’s Faculty of Letters. He has
authored many publications including two recent books, On the Front Lines ofForging a Global Society: Japanese and American Coworkers in Japan (2011), aswell as At Home Abroad: The Contemporary Western Experience in Japan (2012).
Editor Zhu Hua is a Professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, where
she is the Head of the Applied Linguistics and Communication Department.
Professor Zhu has also authored and edited numerous publications including
Research Methods in Intercultural Communication: A Practical Guide (2016) andExploring Intercultural Communication: Language in Action (2014). The editors’impressive credentials and their first-hand experience as transnational academics
should not be overlooked when reviewing this book.
The editors excelled at allowing the contributors to share their individual
stories yet brought the pieces together by highlighting common themes in thefinal chapter. This collaborative work captures the multifaceted process that isinvolved with globalization at the university level by looking at the experiencesof transnational faculty members in various countries as they deal with life andwork in a foreign culture.
The book is organized into three sections: acculturation dynamics,
negotiating identities, and language and interaction, and it is further divided
into 13 chapters. Each chapter is written from an auto-ethnographic approachhighlighting pivotal moments in the authors’ experiences while they progressedalong a path in transnational academia. The chapters are a mix of personal
anecdotes balanced with conceptual and theoretical discussions along with acommon thread of acculturation and negotiation throughout the book.
Scholars in the intercultural relations field as well as researchers interested
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Crossing Boundaries, OnCUE Journal, 9(3), pages 317-322

in qualitative research using auto-ethnographic methodology (Ellis et al.,2011) will see this book as a useful source for their own research. In addition,
those currently employed or looking to be employed in institutions of higher
education both in their home countries and abroad will find this book to be bothan informative and an inspiring read. Transnational educators and their peers
will be able to identify with aspects of the lived experiences shared by the authors
which will likely lead to some inner soul searching as to one’s own experiences
and to the feelings of one’s international colleagues.
The introduction includes a useful discussion of acculturation, culture,
and auto-ethnographical methodology used by the authors of the individualchapters. As stated in the introduction,
we believe that this reflexive analytical stance fits the purpose of the present
collection, which aims to investigate, through contributors’ self-accounts,
how their work, lives, and scholarship intertwine and impact each other,and how that nexus has impacted their interpersonal relationships in their
university communities, and vice versa. (p. 11)
Auto-ethnographical methodology strives to portray and analyze personalencounters and events in a systematic way with the aim of gaining insight intoculture (Ellis et al., 2011). The decision by the editors to have all the authors use
auto-ethnography as their methodology was an insightful choice, as it createda synthesized book which allowed for rich personal narratives. In addition, thefinal chapter successfully linked common concepts and themes that surfaced
and presented them in academic terms providing this book with greater depth.
The intercultural concepts and theories that were incorporated succeeded inproviding a useful framework for which readers are able to make sense of the
anecdotes shared by the authors.
Five themes emerged from the book and are discussed by the editors indetail in the final chapter. The themes are as follows: aspects that influence
the scholars’ experience of inclusion or exclusion at work, techniques used by
the scholars for copying with their foreign work environment, advice for hostinstitutions to maximize the benefits of the diversity of transnational educators,
links between one’s research and learning to one’s intercultural experience, and319

Koideways that culture is understood and researched. The editors also build upon theexperiences of the authors with reference to other research, thus successfully
providing a wider understanding to the key points that emerged from the autoethnographies.
The most refreshing aspect of this book is the frank and honest way in which
the information is presented. I appreciated the discourse presented by the authors
on causes of exclusion. The concept of racialized identity, meaning being labeled
as a visible minority based on the race society assigns to you, was one example as
to why some scholars felt excluded in their work or living environments.
Functioning in a foreign language is another example of a challenge
encountered. Even scholars who achieved near-native-like skills were still
stigmatized by their foreign accents. Hua discussed “accent hallucination” which
she describes as native speakers hearing non-native accents that are not there
for ethnic minorities (p.157). She also addresses (chapter 11) the challenging
question that many are asked about where they come from. The book addresses
the fact that unfortunately all foreigners are not treated the same in every society.
An important distinction is made between the differing experiences of “valued”
and “devalued” immigrant groups based on the host country’s mentality andits impact on the acculturation process. Valued immigrants are those seen as
fulfilling an important role in society such as native English teachers in Japan.
Devalued immigrants are those viewed as a burden to society, such as refugees
in Japan. Marginalization and liminality are explored along with the process ofnegotiating one’s identity.
Perhaps even more valuable to many readers will be the section on coping
strategies used to facilitate a smooth acculturation process. Just one of several
examples provided is Maryam Borjian’schapter on hyphenated identity.
Hyphenated identity refers to living with two identities, that of one’s homecountry and that of the host culture, and feeling at ease in both. Gracia LiuFarrer (chapter 4) capitalized on her perceived difference and turned it into anasset. Zhu Hua (chapter 11) showed strength in her ability to resist the cultural
norm of her host country to use first names when she was more comfortablebeing addressed and identified by her surname. She later resisted the norm to320

Crossing Boundaries, OnCUE Journal, 9(3), pages 317-322

change her surname to that of her husband’s upon marriage. Zhu showed thatdrawing one’s own line as to how far you wish to adapt and change your identity
is acceptable. She went on to show an ability to compromise when she later chose
to use her husband’s name in certain situations but continued to use her maiden
name for business purposes.
The editors themselves acknowledge the limitation of this project as focusing
on only “elite scholars” that have overcome the odds and achieved great success.
Many of the contributors have Ph.D. credentials and strong local language skills
that have helped them achieve integration into various types of institutionsof higher education abroad. Some readers may be left feeling like they are in adifferent league. Yet, as Komisarof has proven (chapter 2), the rice-paper ceilingcan be broken in Japan with the appropriate skills and strategies. This book’s
appeal is not limited to only foreign faculty members. Japanese scholars andadministrators will gain valuable insight into the lives of transnational scholars
which may generate ideas on how to better utilize the foreign faculty members
at their institutions to allow them to contribute to their fullest potential.
In addition, Japanese who are considering a post abroad will gain a clear
understanding of the potential challenges that would come with such a move.
The key point that I took away from this book was that foreign faculty
members must demand to be held to the same standards as their local peers toavoid being treated as outsiders. As local colleagues begin to recognize a strong
work ethic in their foreign peers and a genuine concern for the students, foreign
faculty members will then begin to move closer and closer to being treated as
insiders. Thus, I conclude this book can serve as a useful resource for scholars
who are looking to have a successful career as a transnational academic.

References

Ellis, C., Adams, T. E., and Bochner, A. P. (2011). Autoethnography: Anoverview. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1). Retrieved from www.
qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1589/3095
Hua, Z. (2014). Exploring intercultural communication: Language in action.
London, England: Routledge.
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KoideHua, Z. (Ed.). (2016). Research methods in intercultural communication: A
practical guide. Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons.
Komisarof, A. (2011). On the front lines of forging a global society: Japanese andAmerican coworkers in Japan. Kashiwa, Japan: Reitaku University Press.
Komisarof, A. (2012). At home abroad: The contemporary western experience inJapan. Kashiwa, Japan: Reitaku University Press.
Komisarof, A., & Hua, Z. (Eds.). (2016). Crossing boundaries and weaving
intercultural work, life, and scholarship in globalizing universities. London,
England: Routledge.

Author bio

Teresa Ann Koide holds a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Relations and teaches
part-time at Hosei University, Keio University, and Tsuda College. Her researchinterests include minority and disadvantaged groups in Japan, women’s rights, andparenting multicultural children. koide.tracy@yahoo.com
Received: June 14, 2016
Accepted: July 26, 2016322