Book Reviews

English in Japan in the Era ofGlobalization

Phillip Seargeant (Ed.). Palgrave Macmillan, (2011) (208pages). ISBN: 978-1-137-43914-7 Price: 3,622yen
Reviewed by Kevin Thomas
Asia University
English in Japan in the Era of Globalization is a collection of articles edited byPhillip Sergeant. Sergeant is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the Centre
for Language and Communication, The Open University UK and has previously
written on World Englishes, English as a Global Language, and the role ofEnglish in Japan (Sergeant, 2009; Sergeant, 2012). This collection of articles,
first published in hardback in 2011, concerns itself with perceptions of the roleof English held by elites and citizens in Japan and how such perceptions arecurrently being influenced by globalization. How such perceptions are created,propagated, and experienced is a particular focus of many of the articles. Sergeantsuggests that the articles in the book together paint the picture of “A society whichstill maintains an ambivalent attitude to the English language, but one in which
the language operates as an important touchstone for a range of modern social,
cultural and political issues” (p. 10). To my knowledge this is the only book tocollect such a wide-ranging number of articles concerned with globalization andthe role of English within it with specific focus on the Japanese context. It seems
reasonable to suggest that as workers in Japanese tertiary education, we can reacha better understanding of our teaching context and the attitudes of our students
and how both of these are influenced by political and societal discourses.
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English in Japan in the Era of Globalization, OnCUE Journal, 12(1), pages 90-94

After an introduction which includes a potted history of the role ofEnglish in Japan, the book is split into two sections, five articles on English in
the education system and four on English in Japanese society in culture. Taken
together, the articles cover a spectrum of analysis on changing perspectives of
the role of English. The research ranges from investigations into how Japanesecitizens’ views are influenced by powerful elites, to how conflict can arise within
educational institutions due to differing beliefs on the role of English, to how
individuals navigate narratives on what it means to be Japanese, mixed-ethnicity,
foreign, and a global citizen in everyday life. As space will not allow me to discuss
all the articles, in order to give a flavor of the book I would like to discuss threearticles, two from the first section and one from the latter focusing on themes
ranging from the societal elite to the personal level.
“Elite Discourses of Globalization in Japan: The Role of English”, by
Mai Yamaguchi and James W. Tollefson, provides a discussion of competingnarratives on the desirability of globalization and thus the role of English createdby political and academic intuitions. It is argued that academic institutions
through promotion material are seen as representing globalization and greater
English proficiency as an opportunity for Japan to advance and play an importantrole in global society. However, political discourses have been seen to present
globalization as a “threat to the country’s unity, values and security” (p. 16). The
authors use critical discourse analysis to detail how these views are propagated.
The article presents a convincing argument that elite discourses help foster anambivalent attitude to English in educators, students, and the general citizenry.
While the article above detailed how beliefs are created in society, the next
article to be discussed focuses on how differing beliefs concerning the role ofEnglish as an International Language (EIL) can cause friction in an educational
environment. “‘Not Everyone Can Be a Star’: Students’ and Teachers’ Beliefs
about English Teaching in Japan” by Aya Matsuda details the results of aqualitative research study done in a senior high school in Tokyo. Matsuda foundthat there was consensus that EIL is a phenomenon, but there were significant
differences in how it is viewed and in its implications for language provision.
Students were positive toward the phenomenon viewing EIL as an opportunity,91Thomaswhile teachers had a more negative view seeing it as advantaging Englishspeaking countries. Concerning curriculum content, students saw English as anecessary skill for their futures and thought communication should be a focus,
while teachers saw it as negligibly important and thought the focus of curriculum
content should be on language awareness rather than proficiency. These opposing
views were seen as creating friction in the classroom and mutually negative
assessment between students and teachers, with students seeing class content
as irrelevant and teachers seeing students as unenthusiastic towards provided
content. The author suggests the existence of such differing perspectives needs tobe recognized by policy makers and curriculum designers.
The article “The Position of English for a New Sector of ‘Japanese’ Youths:
Mixed-Ethnic Girls’ Constructions of Linguistic and Ethnic Identities”
by Laurel Kamada focuses on how mixed ethnic youths are confronted bynarratives on Japaneseness, foreignness, and globalization in their everyday livesin Japan. Kamada uses “positioning”, an analytical concept in discourse theory,
to investigate the narratives recognized as affecting them by a group of mixedethnic girls over a three-year period. Positioning refers to how people identify
themselves in society according to recognized discourses. The girls recognized
the discourses of homogeneity, conformity, “halfness” (the term often used todescribe people of mixed-ethnicity), and gaijin (foreignness or otherness) as
influencing their identities and linguistic interactions. Kamada details how
in order to confront these narratives the girls used the alternative discourse of“doubleness” as opposed to halfness which has been seen as having negative
connotations and the growing discourse on globalization to position theiridentities in society. Although this article concerns itself with ethnically mixed
students, it seems reasonable to suggest we can use the analysis to see how
demands made by teachers in terms of behavior and linguistic expression may
conflict with identities held by students on how Japanese are supposed to behave.
In addition to the three articles discussed, I found the other six very readable,informative, and thought-provoking. The scope of focus was impressive, withresearch presented on how discourses on globalization are formed, propagated,and experienced both in institutions and everyday life. The articles were92

English in Japan in the Era of Globalization, OnCUE Journal, 12(1), pages 90-94

sufficiently theoretically underpinned to give them academic legitimacy but
also written in such a way to be enjoyable short reads. Whether the reader be a
researcher, a tertiary level educator, or curious layperson, there is much to informon how English is promoted, used, and perceived in Japan.
As the book was first published in 2011, it is already to some extent out ofdate. Since the time of publication, social media has become ever more prevalent
in daily life, and the preparation for the 2020 Olympics has resulted in a renewed
focus on Japan’s place in international society. It seems reasonable to suggest thatthese two things have significant effects on the perceived roles of English in thepresent day. However, this is no fault of the book, and the ideas contained withinstill continue to be relevant. As a teacher, I would have enjoyed more focus on
how such issues are dealt with in curriculum design and delivery, but there ismuch here to challenge and inspire people in such roles.
Overall, the range of analysis in this book was enlightening and helped meunderstand the creation, spread, and lived experience of discourses connected toglobalization from macro to micro level. Seargent’s book helped me, as a longterm resident and teacher of English in Japan, to more precisely understand mymany experiences. The book helps me as a teacher explain the sometimes positiveand sometimes negative attitudes students have towards English and how such
attitudes are influenced. As a resident, I can see how my presence in Japan as an
English speaker could be seen as being fitting into a currently prevailing discourse
on Japan, English and Japan’s role in a globalized world.
Taking the articles collectively, the authors have successfully managed
to convey and present the image of a country with an ambivalent attitude to
English but one in which English is increasingly recognized as important andpart of everyday life. I would recommend the book to the researcher, educatoror layperson. I hope Seargeant follows this collection with a collection focusing
on how the buildup to the Olympics has affected the creation of discourses
described. The book does a great job on showing how narratives on the roleof English are in constant flux and it would be illuminating to see how recent
events have shaped them.
93ThomasReferences

Seargeant, P. (2009). The idea of English in Japan: Ideology and the evolution of aglobal language. Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
Seargeant, P. (2012). Exploring world Englishes: Language in a global context.
Oxford, England:Routledge.

Author Bio

Kevin Thomas has been an English teacher for 16 years and has taught atuniversities in the UK and Japan. He is particularly interested in preparing Japanese
students for study abroad and the differences between Japanese and British academic
culture. kthomasEFL@live.co.uk

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