ABSTRACT
In JSL (Japanese as Second Language) classrooms, while the homogeneity within national borders and “safe differences” between different countries are commonly mentioned, there are scarcely any discussions about serious conflicts between Japan and other countries. However, if these conflicts are considered as socially, nationally or internationally important issues within the given socio-cultural context, is ignoring them in the classroom always the best choice? Based on observations of discussions and the writings of a voluntary group of students (Korean and Japanese) about the hot naming issue of the sea between South Korea and Japan, this chapter shows that introducing such controversial issues in language classrooms can offer a great occasion to: recognize and criticize our respective persuasive binary categorizations; re-examine our self-perceptions and become more conscious of the complex nature of the topics themselves, as well as the social environments in which we are living. This means that treating topics related to issues between nations has the possibility of unsettling, relativizing or complicating the national boundaries in the mind that usually exist as a kind of backdrop in JSL classrooms.
