Onna Rashiku (Like a Woman): The Diary of a Language Learner
in Japan
October 22, 1998 -- Karen Ogulnick, director and assistant professor
of TESOL and bilingual education at Long Island University's C.W. Post
Campus, has authored a unique book that transforms the modern concept of
second language teaching by using autobiographical reflections of her own
acquisition of a foreign language.
In Onna Rashiku (Like a Woman), Dr. Ogulnick, who specializes in teaching
English to speakers of other languages, recounts her experiences while
learning Japanese in a small town outside of Hiroshima. Although she originally
resisted learning the language, rationalizing that it would be too difficult
at her stage of life, she soon realized that she could indeed learn a new
language simply by interacting with Japanese people. Each of the main chapters
describes the specifics of these interactions, providing rich details of
her process of learning Japanese while relating to various Japanese individuals
in different contexts. Through her detailed diary entries and thoughtful
analytical commentary, Dr. Ogulnick explores the relationships between
gender identity, language acquisition and power relations and reflects
deeply on what it means to be a woman in both Japanese and American cultures
in this historical period.
She writes, "With a head full of red curly hair, I was unmistakable
non-Japanese. While my foreign status granted me some flexibility in terms
of how I was expected to speak to whom, I also felt that my identity kept
me frozen in a certain place, from where I could never really be taken
seriously as a Japanese speaker, perhaps even as a woman."
Onna Rashiku bridges the theories of feminism and second language acquisition
and offers rich insight into the complex interplay between gender, race,
culture, social class, historical experiences and language learning. The
author explains how she was socialized through implicit understandings
of her place, understanding that there were penalties involved for not
acting properly, "and approval granted when I capitulated."
A resident of the upper east side of Manhattan, Dr. Ogulnick studied
at Oxford University while pursuing her doctorate in English education/applied
linguistics at New York University. She frequently presents papers at professional
conferences and seminars on language learning and sits on several advisory
boards at C.W. Post. Widely published, she is a member of the National
Association for Bilingual Education, the National Women's Studies Association,
and the Japanese Association of Language Teachers, among others. In recognition
of her new book, Onna Rashiku, she received the "Outstanding Research
in Women's Studies" award from New York University's Women's Studies
Commission.
Onna Rashiku is available through State University of New York Press,
Albany for $12.95 (paperback) and $39.50 (hardcover). To order a copy call
607-277-2211; 1-800-688-2877 (fax orders) or orderbook@cupserv.org
(email orders).
For more information call the C.W. Post Public
Relations Office at (516) 299-2333 or e-mail pr@cwpost.liu.edu
or send mail to: Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, 720 Northern
Blvd., Brookville, New York 11548-1300.
