Fukunaga 2006 FL literacy development using Anime ... - Oncourse

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“Those anime students”: Foreign language literacy development through Japanese popular culture I conducted an interview study in 2003 with three anime fans, Emily, Ted, and Sean. This article looks at their multiliteracies and the sociocultural context of foreign language literacy development. Although these “anime students” were college-level JFL learners at South University (pseudonym), they mostly talked about their experiences with anime in their adolescence. Building on previous studies of anime and popular culture (Fukunaga, 2000; Napier, 2001), I will discuss the findings from my data, connecting them to sociocultural perspectives of language learning (Gee, 2002) and to the studies of new literacies and multiliteracies (Collins & Blot, 2003; New London Group, 1996). Anime in the framework of multiliteracies In contrast to the singular literacy, multiliteracies and new literacies are wider concepts that include texts, language, situated meaning, technology, popular culture, power, identity, and critical stance (Collins & Blot, 2003; Gee, 1996). New forms of communication such as those spawned by the Internet have become vital information sources for U.S. anime fans (Fukunaga, 2000). However, individual students have different relationships with anime and its community. Two of Gee’s (2002) concepts are useful for understanding these theories in relation to anime: shapeshifting portfolio people and affinity groups. My interviews with JFL learners provided some examples relevant to these concepts. Shape-shifting portfolio people Gee’s (2002) concept provides a useful framework to understand anime as a product of multiliteracies. Gee described millennials, who were born between 1982 and 1998, as youth who shape themselves according to “class-based customized standardization” (italics in original) to become “shape-shifting portfolio people” (Gee, pp. 62–63). The word portfolio does not necessarily mean a collection of documents; rather, it is used as a metaphor for the invisible skills needed for success. Gee used the expression to describe youth who collect skills in order to access a variety of resources and to be successful in capitalist society. These youth continue to revise their portfolios with new experiences in order to make themselves available for different tasks in different times. In the New Capitalism, “the capitalism of our current technologically driven, knowledge-based global economy” (Gee, 2001, p. 100), class is defined not only by the amount of money one has but also by the nature of one’s experiences, skills, and achievements. For example, millennials “customize themselves” (Gee, 2002, p. 63) to gain entrance to elite schools. Young, Dillon, and Moje (2002) criticized Gee’s description of shape-shifting portfolio millennials for being “too generalized and too global” (p. 129). One of the examples that Young et al. described is of a middle class youth who resisted being labeled as a “successful candidate” so he did not shape-shift his portfolio. Anime students’ goals are not transferable to mainstream success either. For anime students, gaining Japanese linguistic and cultural knowledge is one way to build their portfolios by exploring authentic Japanese popular culture. What happens once these anime students lose their interest in Japanese popular culture? Will they shape-shift their portfolio according to “shifting” goals? I explore these questions in later sections. While there is a need to be cautious about overgeneralization, the idea of a “shape-shifting portfolio” remains a helpful description of anime students’ literacy activities. Affinity group Knowledge of Japanese language is one way for anime fans to shape-shift their portfolios. Computer skills and access to the Internet also add to anime fans’ portfolios in the anime community. Gee’s concept of the “affinity group” (2002) is a form of portfolio building that incorporates sociocultural aspects of students’ literacy JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY 50:3 NOVEMBER 2006 207
practices through out-of-class activities. An affinity group is a group wherein people form affiliations with each other, often at a distance (that is, not necessarily faceto-face), primarily through shared practices or a common endeavor (which entails shared practices), and only secondarily through shared culture, gender, ethnicity, or face-to-face relationships. (Gee, p. 65) Gee explained this concept citing the example of Almon, an immigrant boy in Lam’s study (2000), who successfully learned language within an affinity group. Almon worried about his future career because, even after living in the United States for five years, he felt his English skills would never be good enough. However, his attitude toward English dramatically changed when he began discussing Japanese pop music with people from different countries through the Internet. Not only did Almon improve his written English skills, but also through his connection with this particular virtual community, he gained self-confidence. Such literacy practices may also occur through out-of-class activities. Chandler-Olcott and Mahar (2003a, 2003b) looked at two female students’ informal “fanfictions” (fanfics) that included anime characters, and were surprised at the students’ talent as writers. Those fanfic writings looked very different from their classroom essays. Chandler-Olcott and Mahar suggested that teachers should be aware of literacy learning that is not valued in school settings. Different writings such as fanfics can be used to get to know students’ “hidden” literacy skills, because the girls in this study admitted that they spent “far more time and energy” (2003a, p. 561) on their fanfics than they did on school assignments. The two girls in Chandler-Olcott and Mahar’s (2003a) study are like the students I studied who found “joy” in their anime-related literacy practices. Teachers may be surprised that some students who are not successful with classroom practices may be actively learning with out-of-school practices (Chandler-Olcott 208 “Those anime students”: Foreign language literacy development through Japanese popular culture & Mahar, 2003b; Lam, 2000). Like the students in Chandler-Olcott and Mahar’s and Lam’s studies, anime students use a tool (in this case, Japanese) to acquire agency within an affinity group. Students’ literacy practices have expanded dramatically in the Internet era. The Internet enables students to access many cultures and languages. Because of this, it is difficult for classroom teachers to imagine what kind of out-ofclass activities are connected with the students’ literacy development. Although there are increasing numbers of studies on Japanese popular culture in relation to first language (English) literacy development in the areas of multiliteracies and the new literacy studies (Chandler-Olcott & Mahar, 2003a, 2003b; He, 2003; Lam, 2000), little information is available to understand popular culture’s effects on JFL literacy development. What, then, is anime “good for”? What draws students to it? The purpose of this study was to identify JFL students’ perspectives on anime and to explore how three students made use of their anime knowledge while learning Japanese. Data for this study came from photographs taken by participants, individual interviews, and participants’ reflection papers about the interviews. I supplemented these data with a previous survey and interview study (Fukunaga, 2000) on U.S. anime fans’ perspectives of Japanese popular culture. The current study contributes to several areas of educational instruction. In the fields of first- and second-language (L1 and L2) literacy studies, this study helps teachers to understand the cultural context of anime and its value for students as an out-of-class L2 learning tool. This study also gives students and teachers a better sense of the effect and scope of popular culture, especially that originating in “other” cultures. In addition, this study provides sociocultural perspectives on learning from interdisciplinary studies including L1 and L2 literacy, multiliteracies, cultural studies, media literacy, and critical pedagogy. JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY 50:3 NOVEMBER 2006
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