Speakers
Description
This poster examines transnational sisterhood between two Japanese women academics who met abroad and sustained collaboration across different regional universities in Japan. Using collaborative narrative inquiry, the study explores how their relationship enabled cross-institutional online learning projects initiated during COVID-19. The presentation demonstrates how informal networks support women academics and foster communities of practice across institutional boundaries. Attendees will gain insights into building sustained partnerships and supporting professional development through relational collaboration.
Abstract
This poster presentation examines sisterhood between two Japanese female academics who met as visiting researchers during long-term research stays abroad. Research on women in Japanese academia highlights persistent structural barriers, including limited mentorship and networks (Nagatomo, 2016; Whitsed & Wright, 2011). Although they had no prior connection, both participants shared similar academic positioning while navigating different life courses, institutional contexts, and student populations.
Adopting a collaborative narrative inquiry approach ( Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), the study draws on four rounds of reciprocal, semi-structured interviews conducted in Japanese and organized along a longitudinal timeline: (1) initial encounter abroad, (2) early post-return years, (3) sustained collaboration over time, and (4) future-oriented reflection. Narrative analysis identified turning points, identity negotiation, and relational meaning-making, focusing on gendered academic labor, caregiving responsibilities, and work–life balance.
The participants currently work at different regional universities in Japan: one in an English-medium instruction (EMI) business program in Kansai, and the other in an English for specific purposes (ESP) nutrition program in Kyushu. Despite differences in student English proficiency and institutional missions, collaboration led to online cross-institutional collaborative learning projects beginning in the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study addresses a gap in understanding how informal transnational networks sustain pedagogical innovation in Japanese higher education. It extends communities of practice theories (Wenger, 1998) showing how gendered relational agency enables educators and students to build durable learning communities across institutional, regional, and temporal boundaries. Attendees will learn practical strategies for fostering sustained cross-institutional partnerships and supporting women academics through collaborative networks.
References
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. Jossey-Bass.
Nagatomo, D. H. (2016). Identity, gender and teaching English in Japan. Multilingual Matters.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
Whitsed, C., & Wright, P. (2011). Perspectives from within: Adjunct, foreign, English-language teachers in the internationalization of Japanese universities. Journal of Research in International Education, 10(1), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240910396929
Keywords
sisterhood
narrative inquiry
women academics
cross-institutional collaboration
EMI/ESP
Short summary
This poster examines transnational sisterhood between two Japanese women academics who met abroad and sustained collaboration across different regional universities in Japan. Using collaborative narrative inquiry, the study explores how their relationship enabled cross-institutional online learning projects initiated during COVID-19. The presentation demonstrates how informal networks support women academics and foster communities of practice across institutional boundaries. Attendees will gain insights into building sustained partnerships and supporting professional development through relational collaboration.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | Transnational Sisterhood: Career Trajectories of Japanese Women Academics |