Critical Cultural Awareness through a Japanese “Hysterical Construction” and the “Karen Meme” in ELT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22333/ijme.2025.10483Keywords:
critical cultural awareness, gendered discourse, hysterical emotions, ELTAbstract
This study explores how integrating gendered discourse analysis into English language education can foster critical cultural awareness among Japanese learners. Focusing on two culturally embedded representations—the Japanese “Hysterical Construction” and the “Karen meme” in American English (e.g., Armstrong, 2021; Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, 2022)—the research examines how social ideologies and emotional expressions are intertwined. Following Kramsch and Hua’s (2020) notion of language as a social semiotic system, this paper employs qualitative data from TikTok videos as an example of the analysis that can serve as heuristic cues for students. Particular attention is given to how hysterical emotion is discursively constructed (Boiger et al., 2013; Mesquita, 2022): while American discourse often frames emotion as a form of individual expression and entitlement, Japanese discourse tends to emphasize a self-other inseparability. The analysis reveals how socio-cultural norms shape these discourses and contribute to their reproduction. The findings suggest that incorporating such comparative discourse analysis into a four-week cycle of classroom activities can foster cross-cultural reflection and deepen learners’ interdiscourse communication (Scollon, & Scollon, 2001).
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