Indigenous women facing educational disadvantages: The case of the Ainu in Japan

This paper addresses the life and educational experiences of Ainu women, using the framework of postcolonial feminist theory. It explores the extent to which two factors—gender and ethnic minority status—affect young Ainu women as they attempt to enter mainstream society. The authors analyse life history interviews from three Ainu women aged 25. These women face hardships in continuing their education because of unsupportive school atmospheres and family financial difficulties. Ainu women also face discrimination because of gender and ethnicity throughout their lifetimes, especially in employment. The authors suggest anti-discrimination education, more comprehensive policy reforms for indigenous peoples, support for the voices of indigenous women, and continuous advocacy on Ainu issues. Moreover, companies should have monitoring mechanisms to follow up on the gender equality policy, along with regular training programmes on gender and ethnicity.     

Reconsidering an Economy of Teacher Education

This article has an overall aim as follows: to develop an alternative understanding to a narrow view of education, and in particular teacher training—preparatory and continuing—in terms of economy, as well as the competencies needed for the teaching profession. It takes the view that such an alternative is or could be found in the ideas put forward by Paul Standish, where poetry, or a more poetic understanding of education, is necessary—particularly in regards to teacher training.     

The complexity of literacy in Kenya: narrative analysis of Maasai women’s experiences

This paper aims to challenge limited notions of literacy and argues for the recognition of Maasai women’s self-determined learning in order to bring about human development in Kenya. It also seeks to construct a complex picture of literacy, drawing on postcolonial feminist theory as a framework to ensure that the woman’s voice is heard. Through the analysis of narratives from three Maasai women, the author discovered that: (1) these ‘illiterate’ women have their own literacy through which they read the world (their community); (2) these women use this self-determined literacy to raise critical awareness on community issues; and (3) these women have become ‘organic intellectuals’ in that they have the capacity to synthesise information and skills in order to solve community issues by themselves. This paper concludes that a literacy programme should be more centred on the women from the village and must acknowledge their traditions and culture.