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Izumi Funayama, Sarah Lawrence College, United StatesAbstract
Contemporary intercultural learning extends beyond acquiring cultural knowledge to participation in social practices where identities and meanings are continuously negotiated. This study examines intercultural learning through the teaching and learning of Japanese tea ceremony in the New York metropolitan area, focusing on how Japanese and non-Japanese practitioners engage with cultural difference within an overseas community of practice. Drawing on eight years of ethnographic research as both instructor and practitioner, the study analyzes participant observation, cultural events, and interviews. The findings reveal four key processes: (1) Japanese participants reconstructed their understandings of Japaneseness through intercultural encounters; (2) non-Japanese participants developed strong commitment to tea practice while integrating it into their own identities; (3) cultural differences persisted even among experienced practitioners rather than disappearing through participation; and (4) legitimacy within the community was continuously negotiated through practice and relationships rather than determined solely by cultural background. Based on these findings, the study proposes the Integrative Path of Intercultural Self-Formation, a framework that conceptualizes intercultural learning as an ongoing process of navigating cultural difference through participation in a community of practice. The framework extends Communities of Practice and intercultural learning theories by positioning cultural difference not as a barrier to overcome but as a constitutive condition through which communication, identity, and meaning are continuously formed.
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Conference: PCE2026Stream: Adult
This paper is part of the PCE2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Funayama I. (2026) Intercultural Learning and Self-Formation Through Japanese Tea Ceremony: Navigating Cultural Difference in an Overseas Community of Practice ISSN: 2758-0962 The Paris Conference on Education 2026: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 167-179) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2026.13
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2026.13
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