Modes of governmentality in an online space: a case study of blog activities in an advanced level Japanese‐as‐a‐Foreign‐Language classroom

Abstract

This article discusses the validity of the incorporation of online communication in language education classes as a practice free of power politics. By examining blog activities in an advanced‐level Japanese‐as‐a‐Foreign‐Language classroom at a university in the USA, we show that the blog’s postings and readers’ comments evoke certain modes of governmentality – practices that shape one’s conduct – and define the space of a particular blog. This article illustrates two kinds of space created in blogs: that of language education in which ‘native speakers’ dominate ‘non‐native speakers’; and that of information exchange with less fixed relations of dominance, although participants’ behavior is regulated nonetheless. We suggest involving students in analyzing blog comments so that they can understand, and respond to, how the mode of governmentality works outside the classroom and how to transform relations of dominance that manifest themselves in online spaces.

Keywords:

• blog
• language education
• modes of governmentality
• ‘native speaker’ concept
• Japanese

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the students who participated in this research, Miyuki Fukai, Hideki Hamada, Noriko Hanabusa, Yuri Kumagai, Kyoko Motobayashi, Kazuaki Nakazawa, and anonymous reviewers of Learning, Media and Technology for their constructive comments, and Christopher Doerr for proofreading the final version. The text’s deficiencies are wholly our responsibility.