ABOVE AND BEYOND
“Education will help us rise above the 'abstract'. So we see its concrete existence and then go beyond it"
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I teach in higher education in Japan, with a sharp focus on issues related to Identity, Gender, Race, Difference, Exclusion and more. During teaching sessions, which are conducted in an open and collaborative atmosphere with strong emphasis on classroom debate to nurture active student participation, I am invariably confronted by some students who call these concepts 'abstract', i.e., difficult to comprehend. Very interesting indeed! We virtually live and communicate our Identity every minute of our existence, and yet call it abstract! I too remember being intrigued by the notion of Identity when I started becoming aware of it as something more than just a part of our standard lexicon. Who am I? I have lived long enough in Japan, so am I Japanese? What does it mean to be Japanese? Who determines who I am? What are the discerning factors behind such determination? There may be no easy answers to these questions, but such questions are certainly not abstract.
‘I am Japanese…’ To truly understand how we all communicate and manipulate the idea of Identity in our daily lives, we need to detach ourselves from our personal understanding of Identity and decipher how others perceive this concept. The real meaning of the statement 'I am Japanese' becomes more evident when we try to comprehend what it means to different people. |
For instance, it could have an entirely different meaning for an Indian-looking Japanese person identifying himself or herself as Japanese. The statement 'I am Japanese' could actually signify a constant behind-the-scene struggle to resolve his or her true Identity. It is only after going through this exercise a myriad times that we become capable of understanding the true nature and depth of issues and problems related to the concept of Identity, both at an individual as well as social level.
Furthermore, once we learn different stories about what 'I am Japanese' means to different people, we are in a better position to understand the Japanese Identity from multiple perspectives. We are then able to question the very concept of what it means to be Japanese or any other nationality, which then takes us to the question of national Identity. This is when we reach a state where we become capable of thinking beyond the original statement, 'I am Japanese.' Getting to know different stories is a way to rise ABOVE the so-called abstract, which then enables us to go BEYOND it. |
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RICHA OHRI
Ph.D. (Linguistics) Ochanomizu University Japanese Studies in a Global Perspective Comparative Studies of Societies and Cultures Doctoral Thesis Critical Re-examination of Community Japanese Language Programs: Dominant Ideology and the Creation of Power Relations Current Position Special Language Lecturer, Chiba University, Japan She teaches the following courses: 1) Critical Thinking and Popular Culture 2) Critical Thinking in English 3) English for Specific Fields 4) Intercultural Communication: A Critical Perspective 5) English: Presentation, Interaction, Discussion, and Writing |
MY RESEARCH
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Her research interests include enhancing critical thinking skills in English language education, decolonization of English language education and Intercultural Communication, and knowledge construction in the intercultural communication classroom.
She is currently passionately involved in a project she initiated in October 2019, called New Face of Japan. This project documents the experiences of mixed-roots people, foreigners, third-culture kids, and Japanese people in an increasingly diverse Japan. The Project focuses on the problems and challenges faced by the Japanese society as it changes at unprecedented speed. |
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Currently (2019~) receiving Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research for the following research topic:Role of Active Knowledge in developing Critical Literacy in Multicultural Classroom
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WebinarGender Matters: Being a Foreign Academic in Japan Institute for Gender Studies, Ochanomizu University 2021.2.16
‘The position of women in Japanese society’
Nederlands-Japanese Vereniging, 12.9.2021 |
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オーリリチャ「多様でインクルーシブな日本社会の実現に向けて―New Face of Japanプロジェクトが果たす役割―」
東海大學日本語言文化學多元文化交流第１３號, 2021 オーリ リチャ「わきまえない女」ALCE web magazineトガルオンライン, 2021 https://www.togaru.online/ohri01 Ohri Richa, “Talking about social justice in a language classroom: What role can ‘New Face of Japan’ play?” 2022 AATJ Spring Conference, March 17-19, 2022 Ohri Richa, (2020). Above and Beyond the Single Story. In D. H. Nagatomo, K. A. Brown, and M. L. Cook (Eds.), Foreign female English teachers in Japanese higher education: Narratives from our quarter Hong Kong: Candlin & Mynard ePublishing
Ohri Richa・杉原由美, 異文化間教育における批判的観点の重要性-「異」と「文化」 の陥穽から抜け出すには，異文化間教育学会第39回大会発表抄録，査読有, pp.124-125, 2018
Ohri Richa,「共生」を目指す地域の相互学習型活動の批判的再検討-母語話者の「日本人は」のディスコースから-日本語教育 (126), 134-143, 2005-07
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TEDxChiba Education teaches us love and respect for other people. Despite that we often stereotype people based on the prejudices we have, which leads to racism and exclusion. This talk emphasizes the need to re-think education and focus on introducing different stories about how stereotyping robs people of respect and dignity. Love needs to be at the core of our education.
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Picture Book
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