Interactive Presentation Where’s Home for Rural Japanese Women and Their Language on the Move? more

Sun, May 22, 11:15-12:00 Asia/Tokyo

Educational disparities exist in Japan according to socio-economic status, region and gender (Matsuoka, 2019). In terms of regional disparities in particular, Kagoshima Prefecture has the lowest rate of students entering four-year universities in Japan, and there is a large gender gap. I myself am a woman from Kagoshima who was once opposed by my parents to going to university or studying abroad, but after going through various processes, I completed my Master’s in the UK and am now studying in a doctoral course. Where, or when, do those from rural areas who go on to university or study abroad, overcoming their parents' opposition, eventually find home? Will they be able to remain themselves of the same culture and identity after returning home? And while learning a foreign language or studying abroad may broaden both one's career path and cultural horizons, at the same time, will it not cause them to suffer from gaps with their local culture? In this presentation, I will attempt to answer these questions through my previous interviews with women from Kagoshima Prefecture and my own autoethnography. I would also like to make this an interactive session, with time for participants to share their own stories.