Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the presenter’s negotiation of transcultural and translinguistic identity, and concomitant conceptualization and challenging of glocalized borders of “inside” and “outside,” and “us” and “them” in English language teaching in Japan.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the presenter's lived experiences as a teacher and researcher conceptualizing and challenging glocalized (Lin et al., 2002) borders of "inside" and "outside," and "us" and "them" in the field of English language teaching (ELT) in Japan. The presenter will touch upon his negotiation of translinguistic and transcultural identity (Motha, Jain and Tecle, 2012) and concomitant deconstruction of dominant discourses of identity seeking to establish and perpetuate borders of being and becoming in terms of English learning, use and instruction in the Japanese context. In doing so, the presenter will detail the essential role self-reflexivity has served in his approach to borders, borderlands and border crossing in ELT both within and beyond Japan.