Identity, Gender and Teaching English in Japan

A fascinating and insightful study of the experience and identity politics of Western female English language teachers working in Japan, which offers a detailed and absorbing portrait of the cultural, social and professional issues faced by language educators pursuing a career abroad.

* Philip Seargeant, The Open University, UK *

Listen to these women's voices. Feel them resonate. Learn about the many gendered constraints, attitudes and stereotypes that are limiting their potential. Think about how much the field of English language education and society as a whole stand to gain if only we could all free ourselves from the inequities so incisively exposed in these pages.

* Gerry Yokota, Osaka University, Japan *

Overall (these women's) narratives are varied, yet their collective resilience displayed through their stories is nothing short of admirable. This remarkably thorough text traverses historical, sociocultural and gendered discourses to present and explore the experiences of ten language teachers abroad. Graduate students and scholars interested in issues of language teaching, identity, gender, and culture will find it a valuable resource.

-- Lisa Gonzalves, University of California, Davis, USA * Journal of Language, Identity & Education 2018, Vol. 17, No. 2 *

It is evident that Nagatomo, as an “insider” of the Western female English teacher population in Japan, has successfully provided a powerful yet sensible snapshot of her study participants' lives that few researchers can personally access or replicate.(...) Nagatomo's volume indeed makes a significant contribution to the TESOL field for it highlights specific and real connections between identity, gender, and the profession of teaching English in Japan.

-- hisato Nonaka, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, USA * Women's Studies International Forum, 2016 *

Despite her personal interest in and experience of this topic, Nagatomo has made an obvious and concerted effort to remain neutral and faithfully presents various perspectives for controversial ideas. (...) These stories no doubt have relevance for any foreign woman in the industry, and would provide interesting and useful insight for their male and Japanese colleagues. To the layperson, the case studies presented here represent a window into the world of English-teaching in Japan, and an interesting look at the cultural and social experiences of the women who make up a large part of that world.

-- Melissa Noguchi * Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese, August 2016. *

In her most recent book, Identity, Gender and English Teaching in Japan, Nagatomo continues to provide excellent scholarship in this field—in this instance, looking at the personal and professional identities of ten foreign female English teachers living in Japan who are or were married to Japanese men.

-- Aaron Hahn, Fukuoka University, Japan * Journal and Proceedings of GALE 2016 Vol.