Researching the lived experience : an expatriate English speaker in Japan : an Australian in outback Western Australia : Gaijin and Balanda

Abstract

This project deals with the Anglo-Celtic diaspora in Japan. The globalisation of the workforce is an ongoing reality. The Senate Report tabled March 8th 2005, estimates at least three quarters of a million Australians currently live overseas. With one in five jobs within Australia dependent on export, (Austrade 2006) and Japan being our biggest single trading partner, it is expedient to examine the circumstances of the overseas assignment in that country. The welfare of the assignee and his/her family is critical for the individual and as a flow on, configures the success of the trade relationships. The image presented by well adjusted expatriates enjoying and participating in the society of the host country enhances the overall profile of their nation, facilitating long term benefits in trade, foreign affairs and general good neighbourliness. On repatriation, the assignee, having acquired additional ways of knowing, intercultural competence and a global perspective, has the potential to act as a change agent within the particular base organisation, and holistically, their home society. The thesis is constructed from a bicultural viewpoint whereby members of the Anglo-Celtic tribe are the outsider in Japan, with its old and powerful culture. The methodology uses an applied sociology perspective, with social practice drawn from sociological heritage to configure depth and dimension to both cultures. The research position is one of post-modern ethnography expressed in the form of iconic visual anthropology in a metaphoric, evocative process in order to bypass the culture gap and convey meaning by informing the unconscious as well as the conscious. Input into the thesis came from participants, colleagues and repatriates; my own heuristic of living in Japan for six years; cultural studies in the Centre for Japanese Language, Waseda University, Tokyo; a broad literature review; my profession as interculturalist; and work in both adult immigrant education programs and Aboriginal education in Australia. Findings indicate that the optimum position for a company is to adopt strategic planning as a way to maximise return on investment (ROI) placing emphasis on intercultural awareness and competence as core competencies for all employees. As a result of these findings a model of strategic planning for the global learning organisation has been configured, which maximises support for the assignee and can be extrapolated to have universal applications.

Date of Award	2007
Original language	English