ABSTRACT
Globalizing forces have driven communication scholars to be more reflexive about cultural assumptions that underlie theory, practice, and research. A gap exists in the literature in terms of how globalization influences intercultural dyads within the workplace, particularly among foreign workers such as (White) English language teachers (ELTs) in Japan. English language education in Japan is underpinned with racial constructions of difference. Japan has a history of resisting outside influences, which led to a period of isolation from foreign influences. This chapter reflects that who we are influences our unique perspectives and interpretations. The ideological construction of ELTs as 'not real teachers' is rooted in both English hegemony and xenophobia which eroticize and exclude ELTs from productive workplace relationships with JCWs. Viewing ELTs as a cultural product puts ELTs in a spotlight in which they have to navigate their front and back stage personas.
