Language for Peace and Education: Perspectives from Japan and East Asia. 
Edited by Fred E. Anderson, John C. Maher & Jelisava Sethna (Life and Education in Japan Series)

Language, Peace and Education: Perspectives from Japan and East Asia brings together diverse voices to explore the powerful role of language in shaping peaceful societies across communities and classrooms. With a foreword by Fred E. Anderson, John C. Maher, and Jelisava Sethna, this timely volume examines how language mediates identity, inclusion, and conflict in contexts ranging from endangered language communities in the Ryukyu Islands to the integration of Ukrainian evacuees in Japan and the narratives of social media spaces in East Asia. The chapters highlight both challenges and possibilities, offering insightful analyses of intercultural communication, translation, and community interaction, alongside innovative approaches to peace education such as Model United Nations simulations and interdisciplinary courses. Bridging theory and practice, this collection is an essential resource for educators, researchers, and policymakers interested in the intersections of language, education, and peacebuilding in an increasingly interconnected world.

Contents

  • Foreword by Fred E. Anderson, John C. Maher & Jelisava Sethna
Part I: Introduction
  • Chapter 1. Language, Peace and Education: Looking Back, Moving Forward by Kip A. Cates
Part II: Perspectives on Peace in Community Interaction
  • Chapter 2. Resonance and Alienation in Endangered Language Communities in the Ryukyu Islands: Yomitan Village and Setouchi Town by Patrick Heinrich
  • Chapter 3. Language Identity Trajectories of Chinese Returnees from Japan: A Qualitative Study of Childhood and Adulthood by Yue Teng
  • Chapter 4. The Integration of Ukrainian Evacuees and Host Communities in Japan by Sachiko Shirai
  • Chapter 5. Friends or Foes? Social Media Narratives of Foshan’s “Ichiban Street” by Jacob Algrim
  • Chapter 6. Whose are These “Words of Ours”? The Role of Language and Translation in Border-Crossing Art by Špela Drnovšek Zorko
Part III: Education for Peace in Classroom Settings
  • Chapter 7. A Linguistic Analysis of Learner Conceptions of Peace: An Online, Multidisciplinary Peace Education Course by Robert Dormer
  • Chapter 8. Language Learning and Imperfect Peace: A Tool for Intercultural Awareness and Beyond by Alba Medialdea
  • Chapter 9. Educational Effects of the ‘Model United Nations’ on Japanese Undergraduates’ Understanding of International Relations and Multilateral Diplomacy by Yumi Matsuda
  • Chapter 10. From Warfare to Peace: Transforming Environmental Education Through Metaphor by Le Thi Thach Thao & Le Thanh Nhan​

Publication details

Publication date: Spring 2026
Series: Life and Education in Japan
Series editors: Melodie Cook and Anne Howard
ISBN (Print): 9798259032804​
​ISBN (ebook): 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47908/46
Ebook, $19.99 [Available from Smashwords, Amazon Kindle, Apple, Kobo, other ebook stores, and e-libraries]
Print book, approx. 250 pages, $29.99 [Will be available from Amazon and other online booksellers]
Audio book, $9.99 [Will be available to purchase in our online store https://payhip.com/CandlinMynard]