Student-centered, “embodied inter-referencing” as antiracist and anticolonial pedagogy

Abstract

This article reflects on an experimental pedagogical approach I developed in aJapanese literature course that examines sex, gender, and sexuality in response toinstitutional and epistemic racism that exist in university in Canada and in the specificcontext of the COVID-19 pandemic when the number of anti-Asian hate crimes rose atan enormous rate in the city where my university is situated. Building on the intellectualmovements of “Asia as method” and “diaspora as method” my project attempts tomove beyond the convention of studying Asian culture by referencing western theory,knowledge, and experience. More specifically, I developed an assignment called Peer-Engaged Embodied Reflection Journal where students discuss what they learned fromJapanese literature by referencing their own, local experiences and engage in peerinteractions in small groups. In this article, I discuss the effectiveness of mypedagogical approach based on the classroom study conducted in the fall of 2020 andthe spring of 2021, semi-structured interviews with teaching assistants (TAs), and myown teaching experience. Based on my qualitative analysis of student engagementwith the assignment as well as TAs’ and my grading experiences, I conclude thatrecentring student experience and peer engagement produces meaningful sites fordecolonial and antiracist pedagogy while teaching Japanese modern literature in aCanadian institutional context.