Abstract

This book explores the realities of feminist EFL teachers’ lives through interviews and classroom observations with eight EFL teachers at Japanese universities. The data contained in the book broaden our understanding of feminist teaching in the language classroom while also providing suggestions for practice. The book examines not only how the teachers’ feminist identities influence their pedagogical beliefs and practices but also how the teachers actually practice feminist teaching in their classrooms. The tensions, dilemmas and pleasures of feminist teaching converge in this book, which attempts to shed light on a question that is often asked in either ESL or EFL teaching contexts: is teaching about gender-related topics (including controversial sociopolitical topics) in the language classroom education or indoctrination?

I am enthusiastic about and grateful for this outstanding contribution to the under-addressed topic of feminist EFL teaching. This is top-notch qualitative research. The participant teachers’ voices vividly reveal their experiences grappling with issues of gender and pedagogy. For anyone interested in gender and language teaching, this is a must-read.

Reiko Yoshihara is an Associate Professor at Nihon University, Japan. Her research interests include feminist pedagogy in TESOL, gender and language education, and feminist qualitative research. 

Reiko Yoshihara’s volume is an important contribution to the topic of feminist pedagogy, especially in TESOL/TEFL contexts. A comprehensive outline traces the course of feminist theory and how present-day feminist educators can help to promote a more gender-equal society. The narrative research methodology proved to be a particularly viable approach for highlighting the complex lives of the study’s participants.

Reiko Yoshihara has given us a theoretically rich case study of feminist pedagogy in Japan from the perspectives of several Japanese and non-Japanese university teachers of English. Both the theoretical discussions and detailed portrayals of individual teachers' beliefs and practices help dismantle stereotypes and reveal the diversity and tensions inherent in a feminist pedagogy. The issues and examples apply well beyond Japan.