Please join us in person or on Zoom for Motoki Nozawa’s MA thesis defense on Monday, December 9 at 1pm Pacific Time (US and Canada).
This defense will be held in hybrid format. All are welcome to join.
The room for in-person attendance is PCN1306A (Ponderosa Commons North).
Supervisory Committee:
Co-supervisors: Dr. Meghan Corella and Dr. Meike Wernicke
Committee Member: Dr. William Pinar
Title of Thesis:
QUEER STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF CIS-, HETERO-, AND HOMONORMATIVITIES IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS
Abstract:
Despite growing interest in gender and sexuality, research on the link between gender and sexual identities and language learning has not yet been extensively examined in the field of Japanese language education. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of queer-identifying students in Japanese language classrooms within a university in Western Canada and the impact their experiences had on queer identity construction and language learning. The data were generated from one-on-one semi-structured interviews and reflective writings over a six-month period through the lens of research as social practice (Talmy, 2011) and poststructuralist and queer theories (Norton, 2013; Nelson, 2009) to analyze queer identity construction and queer inclusion. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis method, I identified the following three overarching themes that were of particular concerns for the participants: (1) instructors’ linguistic and/or teaching acts and practices, (2) usage of pronouns, and (3) queer representations in learning materials. The findings include positive experiences, which opened up possibilities for participants’ queer identity construction and language learning. In other interactions, participants struggled with marginalizing experiences due to cis-, hetero-, or homonormativity, which hindered access to the language they needed in order to construct their queer identities. The analysis of the data illustrates both positive and negative interactions that discursively emerged in Japanese language learning where queer persons exercised agency to become competent langue users. The implications of the findings highlight the need for queer-inclusive curriculum and pedagogy that validates queer identities and helps to develop queer persons’ criticality and creativity on a discourse level.