ABSTRACT
It has almost become a truism to say that nationalism and globalisation are in some ways closely inter-related. Many writers on globalisation have pointed out that awareness of cultural differences and of national identity can become even stronger in the process of globalisation. Nonetheless, not many writers, especially those in literary cultural studies, have inquired into social processes whereby particular social groups engage in particular activities which are themselves a response to globalisation and at the same time a stimulus to cultural nationalism. Drawing on the Japanese experience, this chapter looks into a social process that links globalisation and nationalism. Given their multi-faceted nature, any sociological discussion of these phenomena should have a focus. In this chapter, I focus on one of the key dimensions of ongoing processes of globalisation – the promotion of the use of English as an international language. Additionally, I focus on a selected aspect of nationalism, inquiring into a process integral to cultural nationalism by which national cultural identity is reinvented, maintained and promoted in contemporary Japanese society.
