The Socially Responsible Feminist EFL Classroom

A Japanese Perspective on Identities, Beliefs and Practices

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?