Paper short abstract:

In this talk I examine the purpose and pedagogical practices of, as well as language ideologies behind Japanese heritage educational organisations (HEO) and what this means for migrant children of Japanese heritage growing up in Germany.

Paper long abstract:

Japanese communities have a long history and vibrant presence in Europe. Concomitant with this settlement was the establishment of educational infrastructures – Japanese supplementary schools – to cater to children’s language learning needs. Using Germany as an example, where these institutions emerged early on, I examine their language ideology and teaching practices. Based on interviews with teachers and former students, as well as analysis of the schools’ documents, it transpires that such an ideology is built on the belief that these schools teach Japanese as a national language (kokugo), rather than a heritage language, to children of Japanese parentage. In addition, teachers and educators in these weekend supplementary schools go so far as to urge parents to create an all-Japanese environment in their children’s daily lives. I argue that such a teaching philosophy, which is out of touch with the reality of Japanese communities today, enacts both bridges and barriers. While heritage language hence acquired by students enables an emotional and communicative bridge linking Japanese offspring in Germany to their family members in Japan, these schools also create new borders within the Japanese migrant communities by side-lining mixed families with less resources for language maintenance. I conclude by discussing the broader implications of such pedagogical practices in Japanese supplementary schools. Notably, they have a delocalising effect by creating doubts of what constitutes one’s country, national language/identity (a form of psychological barrier), and ultimately “home” in the minds of Japanese offspring who are born in and identify with Europe.