This thesis has been approved by The Honors Tutorial College and the Department

117 Pages·2014·0.5 MB·English

by  Camille Scott

This
 thesis
 has
 been
 approved
 by

The
 Honors
 Tutorial
 College
 and
 the
 Department
 of
 Sociology
 and
 Anthropology

__________________________

Dr.
 Haley
 Duschinski

Professor,
 Anthropology

Thesis
 Advisor

___________________________

Dr.
 Gene
 Ammarell

DOS,
 Honors
 Tutorial
 College

Anthropology

___________________________

Jeremy
 Webster

Dean,
 Honors
 Tutorial
 College
“OUTSIDE
 PEOPLE”:

 TREATMENT,
 LANGUAGE
 ACQUISITION,
 IDENTITY,
 AND

THE
 FOREIGN
 STUDENT
 EXPERIENCE
 IN
 JAPAN

A
 Thesis

Presented
 to

The
 Honors
 Tutorial
 College

Ohio
 University

In
 Partial
 Fulfillment

of
 the
 Requirements
 for
 Graduation

from
 the
 Honors
 Tutorial
 College

with
 the
 degree
 of

Bachelor
 of
 Arts
 in
 Anthropology

by

Camille
 Scott

April
 2014
Acknowledgements

I
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 the
 Honors
 Tutorial
 College
 Dean’s
 Research
 and
 Travel

Fund
 and
 the
 Provost
 Undergraduate
 Research
 Fund
 for
 providing
 me
 the

opportunity
 to
 fulfill
 my
 life-­‐long
 dream
 of
 studying
 in
 Japan.
 Many
 thanks
 to
 my

thesis
 advisor
 Dr.
 Haley
 Duschinski
 for
 supporting
 me
 through
 all
 phases
 of
 this

project,
 both
 rough
 and
 smooth,
 and
 for
 offering
 the
 best
 council
 and
 critiques

when
 I
 needed
 them
 most.
 My
 sincerest
 gratitude
 to
 Dr.
 Gene
 Ammarell
 for

advising
 and
 support,
 Dr.
 Chris
 Thompson
 for
 inspiration,
 Dr.
 Charlie
 Morgan
 for

resources,
 and
 all
 of
 the
 wonderful
 people
 in
 the
 Honor
 Tutorial
 College
 Office
 for

their
 unwavering
 support,
 wise
 council,
 and
 sympathetic
 ears.
 I
 also
 want
 to

thank
 my
 boyfriend
 Archie
 Potter
 for
 providing
 the
 very
 best
 emotional
 support

and
 motivation,
 even
 though
 he
 was
 working
 on
 his
 own
 thesis.
 Without
 all
 of

these
 people,
 none
 of
 the
 following
 pages
 would
 have
 been
 possible.
Abstract

In
 recent
 years,
 an
 increasing
 number
 of
 foreign
 students
 have
 been
 engaging
 in

language
 and
 cultural
 immersion
 programs
 in
 Japan,
 raising
 issues
 of
 cross-­‐
cultural
 contact
 and
 exchange.
 Japan's
 enduring
 cultural
 nationalism
 produces
 an

ethnocentric
 valuation
 of
 homogeneity,
 thereby
 affecting
 the
 ways
 in
 which

Japanese
 natives
 engage
 with
 and
 respond
 to
 these
 students.
 This
 paper
 draws
 on

two
 months
 of
 ethnographic
 research
 at
 two
 Japanese
 universities
 to
 examine

how
 everyday,
 culturally
 embedded
 nationalism
 affects
 the
 experience,
 identity,

and
 language
 instruction
 of
 western
 nonnative
 learners
 of
 Japanese
 with
 regards

to
 the
 institution,
 the
 instructors,
 and
 the
 community
 around
 them.
 This

discourse
 on
 issues
 surrounding
 the
 presence
 of
 foreign
 youth
 in
 a
 nationalistic

society
 has
 application
 for
 discrimination
 reforms
 on
 the
 international
 level.
Table
 of
 Contents

Chapter
 1:

Introduction:
 Welcome
 to
 the
 Outside

Go,
 Gaijin,
 Go!.............................................................................................................1

Welcome
 to
 the
 Outside..........................................................................................3

Project
 Description
 and
 Aim..................................................................................4

Research
 Questions..................................................................................................6

Research
 Scope.........................................................................................................7

Literature
 Review:
 Japanese
 Nationalism...........................................................8

Literature
 Review:
 Theoretical
 Constructs......................................................12

Literature
 Review:
 Second
 Language
 Acquisition
 and
 Education..............16

Methodology...........................................................................................................18

Notes
 on
 Location..................................................................................................20

Personal
 Relationship
 to
 Project........................................................................22

Significance.............................................................................................................23

Chapter
 Overview..................................................................................................24

Chapter
 2:

Background:
 The
 History
 of
 Japanese
 Relations
 with
 Foreigners

Introduction............................................................................................................25

Early
 History...........................................................................................................25

Contact
 with
 the
 West,
 Mistrust,
 and
 Withdrawal.........................................27

Opening
 to
 the
 West..............................................................................................28

The
 Meiji
 Era
 and
 National
 Insecurity..............................................................30

Foreigners
 and
 Today’s
 Japan.............................................................................32

Conclusion...............................................................................................................33

Chapter
 3:

The
 Gaijin
 Special:
 Treatment
 of
 Foreign
 Students

Soto
 Ni
 Youkoso!
 Welcome
 to
 the
 Outside!.......................................................35

The
 Japanese-­‐ness
 of
 it
 all...................................................................................38
An
 Overview:
 What
 to
 Expect
 When
 You’re
 Not
 Expecting
 It......................39

Special
 Treatment:
 The
 Foreigner
 Privilege
 and
 Help
 for
 the
 Hapless

Gaijin........................................................................................................................41

Exploitation:
 “Token”
 Status...............................................................................43

Ignoring:
 See
 No
 Gaijin,
 Hear
 No
 Gaijin.............................................................45

Worship:
 Cool
 Foreigner
 Syndrome..................................................................45

Harassment,
 Segregation,
 and
 Awkwardness:
 The
 Funny,
 the
 Bad,
 and
 the

Ugly...........................................................................................................................46

Getting
 a
 Second
 Opinion:
 One
 Informant
 Among
 Many..............................49

Focus
 Group,
 Daigaku
 Study
 Abroad:
 Matt
 in
 Context...................................51

Conclusion...............................................................................................................55

Chapter
 4:

Language:
 Usage
 and
 Acquisition

Leggo
 My
 Keigo!.....................................................................................................57

Introduction............................................................................................................60

Classroom
 Language
 Usage.................................................................................61

Language
 Abilities.................................................................................................63

Language
 Usage
 with
 Foreigners.......................................................................65

Language
 Usage
 with
 Native
 Speakers.............................................................66

Language
 Usage
 with
 Natives:
 English..............................................................68

Language
 Usage
 with
 Natives:
 Japanese...........................................................69

Formality
 in
 Japanese...........................................................................................71

When
 Addressed/Approached
 by
 Native
 Speakers.......................................73

Native
 Speakers’
 Responses
 to
 Foreigners
 Using
 Japanese..........................75

Language
 Attitudes...............................................................................................77

Daigaku
 Focus
 Group
 Discussion.......................................................................77

Conclusion...............................................................................................................79

Chapter
 5:

 Identity:
 Sense
 of
 Self
 and
 Defining
 the
 Foreigner
 Experience

“That”
 Foreigner:
 The
 Origin
 of
 Stereotypes...................................................82
Introduction:
 Attitudes
 Towards
 Foreigners..................................................84

Being
 Foreign
 in
 Japan.........................................................................................84

Hokudai:
 Group
 Relations
 and
 Dynamics.........................................................86

Meeting
 Other
 Foreigners....................................................................................88

Sense
 of
 Belonging/Othering..............................................................................91

Reflections
 on
 Gender..........................................................................................92

Reflections
 on
 Foreigner
 Appearance
 and
 Aesthetics...................................94

Reflections
 on
 Self.................................................................................................95

Reflections
 on
 Country
 and
 Countrymen.........................................................96

Conclusion...............................................................................................................97

Chapter
 6:

 Conclusion:
 Implications
 and
 Applications

Review.....................................................................................................................99

Theoretical
 Constructs......................................................................................100

Treatment
 of
 Foreign
 Students........................................................................101

Linguistic
 Factors...............................................................................................102

Finale.....................................................................................................................103

Implications
 and
 Applications:
 Moving
 Forward........................................104

Appendix
 A:
 Terms
 and
 Definitions.............................................................................105

Appendix
 B:
 Bibliography..............................................................................................107
Chapter
 1

  Introduction:
 Welcome
 to
 the
 Outside!

Go,
 Gaijin,
 Go!

I
 have
 never
 been
 a
 person
 who
 gets
 nervous
 easily.
 However,

participating
 in
 a
 reading
 contest
 in
 front
 of
 the
 upper-­‐
 level
 administrators
 at
 a

Japanese
 university
 in
 which
 I
 will
 be
 judged
 on
 pronunciation,
 accent,
 speed,
 and

general
 fluency
 was
 an
 exception
 to
 that
 rule,
 an
 exception
 I
 realized
 too
 late
 to

turn
 back.

Three
 days
 prior,
 we
 had
 conducted
 a
 preliminary
 round
 in
 our
 small
 15-­‐
person
 Japanese
 class
 in
 the
 summer
 language
 program,
 from
 which
 our
 sensei,

our
 brave
 Japanese
 instructor
 Ms.
 Ozaki,
 selected
 three
 people
 to
 go
 on
 compete

against
 all
 the
 other
 foreign
 students
 at
 Hokudai.
 I
 agreed
 to
 participate,
 largely

because
 I
 felt
 the
 need
 to
 prove
 Americans
 are
 not
 totally
 useless,
 a
 feeling
 that

had
 been
 haunting
 me
 in
 class
 for
 a
 few
 days,
 thanks
 to
 the
 much
 higher
 Japanese

levels
 of
 the
 passel
 of
 Chinese
 girls
 surrounding
 me
 at
 most
 times.
 After
 we
 all

read
 a
 passage
 in
 front
 of
 the
 class,
 the
 sensei
 called
 the
 first
 girl’s
 name.
 It
 was
 no

surprise
 Shizui-­‐san
 was
 going
 on
 to
 the
 next
 round,
 but
 mine
 was
 the
 next
 name

to
 be
 called,
 and
 I
 marveled
 mildly
 at
 this.
 The
 class
 clapped
 politely,
 and
 my
 two

Korean
 friends
 exclaimed
 in
 Japanese,
 “Good
 job,
 Camille.
 Good
 luck!”
 I
 marveled

less
 mildly
 a
 few
 days
 later
 when
 I
 found
 myself
 in
 a
 large,
 stadium-­‐seating

classroom
 mostly
 full
 of
 students
 and
 teachers
 for
 the
 competition.

As
 I
 stood
 up
 from
 my
 seat
 when
 my
 name
 was
 called,
 many
 heads
 turned

towards
 me.
 A
 quiet
 murmur
 rippled
 through
 the
 crowd
 as
 the
 audience
 realized

  1
the
 American
 girl
 was
 about
 to
 compete.
 A
 few
 days
 earlier,
 I
 had
 come
 to
 the

realization
 that
 I
 was
 the
 only
 non-­‐Asian
 female
 for
 miles;
 I
 was
 a
 rarity.

Suddenly,
 people
 began
 clapping
 and
 were
 still
 clapping
 when
 I
 reached
 the

podium.
 The
 clapping
 was
 excessive
 and
 clearly
 louder
 and
 more
 enthusiastic

than
 the
 polite,
 sporadic
 pattering
 of
 clapping
 hands
 before
 my
 perhaps
 15

Chinese
 and
 two
 Korean
 competitors
 read.

I
 looked
 out
 at
 what
 I
 estimate
 to
 be
 more
 than
 150
 Japanese
 and
 Chinese

faces
 in
 addition
 to
 those
 of
 my
 few
 Korean
 and
 Thai
 classmates
 and
 my
 two

American
 friends.
 It
 was
 a
 sea
 of
 clapping
 hands.
 I
 giggled
 nervously
 and
 looked

down
 at
 my
 paper.
 The
 thunderous
 applause
 continued,
 and
 I
 became
 almost

indignant.
 I
 had
 not
 even
 read
 anything.
 They
 had
 no
 idea
 how
 good
 I
 was,
 nor

did
 I
 suspect
 it
 mattered,
 I
 thought
 bitterly.
 My
 only
 choice
 was
 to
 laugh

awkwardly,
 covering
 my
 laughter
 with
 my
 hand
 as
 is
 culturally
 appropriate,
 and

wait.

When
 the
 applause
 died
 down,
 I
 began
 to
 read
 the
 anecdote
 about
 men

arguing
 over
 who
 heard
 the
 first
 birdsong
 of
 spring.
 My
 accent
 and
 pronunciation

is
 good
 for
 an
 American,
 according
 to
 my
 Japanese
 friends,
 but
 I
 had
 a
 few

incorrect
 intonations
 as
 I
 went
 along.
 I
 finished
 and
 bowed
 to
 the
 audience.
 As
 I

stepped
 down
 off
 the
 platform
 to
 return
 to
 my
 seat,
 the
 sound
 of
 applause
 was

obviously
 and
 embarrassingly
 louder
 than
 the
 applause
 for
 anyone
 else
 that
 went

before
 or
 after
 me.
 For
 a
 fleeting
 moment,
 I
 feel
 deeply
 embarrassed
 solely

because
 of
 my
 ethnicity.

  2
There
 was
 a
 short
 break
 while
 the
 judges
 debated
 our
 performances.

When
 they
 returned,
 one
 of
 the
 judges
 gave
 a
 brief
 inspirational
 speech
 about

how
 well
 we
 all
 did
 and
 how
 they
 could
 not
 tell
 whether
 we
 were
 Japanese
 or
 not.

I
 enjoyed
 the
 irony
 in
 this,
 considering
 the
 spectacle
 that
 I
 seemed
 to
 be.
 There

were
 also
 words
 of
 encouragement,
 reminders
 that
 we
 could
 always
 be
 better,

that
 we
 should
 always
 strive
 to
 be
 better.
 When
 they
 announced
 winners,
 they

announced
 second
 place,
 then
 first
 and
 then
 third.
 When
 my
 name
 was
 called

first,
 I
 had
 still
 not
 sorted
 out
 what
 happened.
 It
 then
 seemed
 to
 occur
 to
 the

people
 around
 me
 that
 I
 had
 gotten
 second
 place.
 The
 applause
 erupted
 again,

and
 I
 was
 made
 to
 return
 to
 the
 stage
 to
 bow,
 pose
 for
 photos,
 and
 receive
 my

certificate
 and
 award
 money
 of
 3000
 yen,
 or
 30
 dollars.
 While
 I
 was
 pleased
 to

have
 been
 awarded
 second,
 the
 way
 I
 had
 been
 treated
 so
 far
 at
 the
 university

and
 the
 way
 everyone
 had
 clapped
 so
 much
 more
 for
 me
 before
 I
 had
 even

opened
 my
 mouth
 made
 me
 question
 the
 award
 I
 held
 in
 my
 hands.
 Had
 I
 really

been
 better
 than
 the
 others
 or
 had
 they
 been
 trying
 to
 appease
 me
 and
 make
 the

American
 feel
 good
 about
 herself?
 I
 remain
 unsure.

Welcome
 to
 the
 Outside

This
 wildly
 uncomfortable
 and
 somewhat
 unsettling
 experience
 was
 not

uncommon
 for
 me
 when
 I
 spent
 six
 weeks
 traveling,
 researching,
 studying

Japanese,
 and
 conducting
 interviews
 in
 Japan
 this
 summer.
 Japan
 is
 a
 largely

ethnically
 homogenous
 country,
 meaning
 that
 foreigners
 stand
 out,
 for
 better
 or

for
 worse.
 The
 Japanese
 word
 for
 “foreigner”
 itself
 gives
 some
 insight
 into
 the

  3