WELL 2027 – Keynote Speaker
Reiko Yoshihara
吉原令子
Gender Microaggressions in Japanese Academia
Presentation Language: English
The Presentation
Women’s status and situations in Japan are illustrated by continual low ranking on the Global Gender Gap Index. Women remain underrepresented in Japanese academia as well. The persistent gender imbalances in the teaching profession, combined with imbalances in university leadership in Japanese academe, influence professional development of women academics. Given these circumstances, I uncover gender biases and microaggressions in Japanese academia through my lived experiences. Also, I discuss how to apply these personal narratives to language teaching practices. I hope my presentation contributes to better understanding of female language academics in Japanese universities.
Biography
Reiko Yoshihara is a professor at Nihon University. She holds an M.S. in Women’s Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato and M.S.Ed. and Ed.D in Curriculum, Instruction, & Technology in Education from Temple University, Japan. Her research interests include feminist pedagogy in TESOL, teacher identity issues, and feminist narrative research. She published The Socially Responsible Feminist EFL Classroom: A Japanese Perspective on Identities, Beliefs, and Practices (Multilingual Matters, 2017) and several articles in international journals.