What makes a good citizen?

―Citizenship Ideals in Japanese Higher Education―

May 13, 2010 6:30 PM (finished)


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Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak, Ph.D.

(Associate Professor, the Departments of Asian Studies and Political Science at St. Olaf College)

Date/Time May 13, 2010 6:30 PM
Location Room 549 5th floor, Akamon Sogo Kenkyuto Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo  [map]
Abstract Many different institutions craft ideals of good citizenship. Yet most of the civil society literature focuses exclusively on non-profit and non-governmental associations. Japanese university reputations rest on various ranking systems assessing their place in labor markets and research production; however, those roles do not preclude them from shaping participation in politics and civil society. Through dozens of narrative interviews at fourteen universities of varying status in Niigata Prefecture and the Tokyo area, I have learned how educators introduce students to active citizenship practice through courses and co-curricular activities. The programs are not universal, but they are expanding with support from university administrators and government programs. These practices coincide with many plans promoted by international civic engagement education advocates such as the OECD and the UN, even though the Japanese professors organizing them remain largely unaware of the international conversation. Likewise, the international debates are largely ignorant of Japanese efforts in this area. Four ideals, in particular, are advocated repeatedly by these Japanese educators: social action should be based in knowledge; people should attend to issues close at hand; action should be embedded in social networks; and people should cultivate their individuality. I argue that understanding these ideals and the educational practices in which they are embedded gives us a richer, more complete understanding of Japanese citizenship in general.
Bio Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak is Associate Professor in the Departments of Asian Studies and Political Science at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, USA. In previous research she argued that local citizenship ideas and policies challenge exclusionary immigration policies at the national level. Her research on citizenship and Japanese universities is made possible with the support of a Fulbright Research Scholar award, and institutional affiliation as a Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo.