2018 Volume 47 Pages 34-49
This paper examines intercultural competence of university students who participated in SEND Program, a study abroad program in which they were sent to sister universities abroad and served as Japanese language assistants, through the concept of Japaneseness. There has been little research that focuses on awareness or perceptions of privilege of Japanese students who participated in study abroad programs in a different culture settings. Inspired by whiteness studies, Japaneseness studies explores that how invisible social norms and privilege have been constructed in Japanese society. Since SEND Program is a study abroad program which students interact with people from different cultural backgrounds as Japanese language assistants in Japanese, most students’ mother tongue, it is significant to investigate students’ intercultural competence through the concept of Japaneseness.
In this study, the author developed five phases of awareness of privilege: 1) Unaware of or uninterested in differences, 2) denial or avoidance of differences, 3) adaptation of differences and reference shift, 4) rethinking social structure and realization of privilege, and 5) taking action towards reconstruction of social structure and privilege. By analyzing 14 narratives of participant reports written after they came back from their study abroad experience, their narratives were categorized into phases 2), 3), and 4).
Findings showed that students have acquired intercultural competence such as ethnographic views, critical cultural awareness, and privilege awareness. This study also showed that different phases of awareness were found in students’ narratives, even if they participated in the same program. Moreover, these phases are fluid and contiguous. For future research, the phases should be examined through more different programs and changed if necessary. Acquiring intercultural competence and raising awareness of their privilege would help build better relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds.
