Facing Japan While Living in the United States: The Study Abroad Experiences and Expectations of Japanese Women

Abstract

My research contributes an anthropological perspective to the nascent social science literature on students studying abroad by illustrating how the home culture permeates and directs the students' study abroad experience. I aim to dismantle the often monolithic portrayal of the "international student" and the "Japanese student" in the cross disciplinary literature in international education. Moreover, an understanding of how Japanese women "face Japan" during their educational experiences abroad has applied significance for practitioners in the field of international education, by aiding administrators and educators in providing more appropriate programs for these students.