On teaching EIL in a Japanese context: the power within and power without

Japanese EIL academia, breaking away from the long established exonormatic models of teaching English, advocates practices of their own locallydeveloped pedagogic models. The general Japanese population as well as the teachers of English at the grass-root level, however, are unaware of the paradigm shift and remain tied to traditionalism enduring what is known as the Native Speaker (NS) model. While the debate for and against the perpetual dominance of the NS model continues, the Japanese EIL-inspired practitioners face the dilemma of being snubbed by their own communities on the basis of what they advocate and teach. This chapter is a story of such an advocate. Adopting a critical reflective narrative approach, the chapter articulates the dilemma of being an EIL advocate in a society which thinks highly of American NS model of English. Citing examples of accounts of EIL practices, the chapter questions some of the most prevalent arguments in the field and divulges with the dilemma of being an EIL-inspired teacher/practitioner in a non-native English context in which the teacher experiences both empathy and sympathy for what he is and what he does. Finally, it provides a discussion of the issues in questions and implications for EIL pedagogy.