June A. Gordon - Ghetto Schooling in Japan: Education for Social Justice

Japans Outcaste Youth

Contents

This book is dedicated to the late professors John Ogbu and Ikeda Hiroshi whose scholarship and encouragement made this research possible. Their absence is deeply felt. The hundreds of meetings, encounters, and interviews with teachers, community workers, human rights activists, scholars, students, and their families would not have been feasible without access provided by some critical people who have the trust and confidence within Buraku communities. Several Japanese scholars graciously shared their life stories, their struggles, their goals for social justice, their own research and, at times, their homes. In 1996 my first team of professional colleagues included Professor Kanagae Haruhiko of Senshu University, Professor Noguchi Michihiko of Osaka City University, and Professor Nabeshima Yoshiro, all of whom have proven invaluable in guiding my understanding of the nuanced and changing realities of the complex worlds that exist within the Buraku. While other Japanese scholars have worked with me on research pertaining to immigrants and educational reform in Japan, I mention here only those who participated directly in the research for this particular book. However, one scholar who spans both areas and has provided ongoing support is Professor Shimizu Kokichi, my principal colleague during our shared work at Tokyo University and later at Osaka University. Professors Tsukada Mamoru, Fujita Hidenori, Komine Naofumi, Tsuneyoshi Ryoko, and David Willis each added significant support at crucial times. Heartfelt appreciation goes to Mr. and Mrs. Nishino for my many stays and long conversations in their home over the past thirty years and for the numerous translations needed for this book. I owe undying gratitude to Mr. Maruyama Toshio for his belief in the importance of the research and his fortitude to open doors for me that others would not have attempted to crack. My primary thanks, of course, go to the teachers, administrators, and community people who agreed to my interviews and visits. As promised and with a few exceptions, personal names and school names have been changed. In recent years, the encouragement to complete this book has come from friend and colleague, Professor George DeVos, one of the preeminent scholars in the study of minority groups and coauthor of the single most important book on the Burakumin in English. Professor DeVoss partner, Suzanne Lake DeVos, also deserves special mention for her unceasing encouragement. To bring the book to life, I am especially grateful to Professor Nobuo Ken Shimahara who provided a critical reading of the manuscript and to Dean Birkenkamp who has nurtured a publishing ideal that truly supports the independent work of scholars.