Between commodification and racial capital: an autoethnography exploring whiteness in higher education in Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines how individuals may play a role – inadvertently or intentionally – in negating white privilege by critically examining the conflict-avoidance approach employed by individuals in higher education in Japan. Drawing on the third wave of Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS), the article examines the role of whiteness that impacts educators who engage in English education in Japan. In doing so, autoethnography is used to critically analyse situations from the author’s lived experiences where educators were complicit in upholding the hegemony of whiteness. The findings suggest that avoiding the critique of whiteness misses the opportunity not only to interrogate the incidents that sustain the status quo, but also overlooks the emotionalities and humanity of all educators involved in English education in Japan. Finally, the article ends by suggesting Matias’ (2016) notion of the humanizing process to understand what educators are up against when confronting race and seeks ways for all educators to join the global movement of racial justice in their teaching contexts.