Introduction: Exploring Japan's Status in International Development Studies: Using the Autoethnography of Border-Crossers as an Approach

Abstract

This special issue explores the current status and future prospects of Japan's international development studies, with reference to the personal experiences and perspectives of Japanese and non-Japanese international students as learners. The auto-ethnographic approach adopted in the papers in this special issue elucidates the manner in which the multiple positionalities of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students, who pursued their studies abroad across disparate temporal and spatial contexts, inform their experiences as learners. In this way, the special issue aims to propose a framework for rethinking the field of Japan's international development studies from the perspective of the learner. Therefore, the special issue highlights the necessity of acknowledging the significance of individual experiences (i.e. particularity/specificity) within the academic field.