Contested concepts: internationalisation and multicultural coexistence in Japan – with special focus on ethnic classrooms

Abstract The terms internationalisation and multicultural coexistence are used by a variety of actors. Depending on their respective position in society, they endow these terms with different meanings. The article aims to show how these meanings are contested and negotiated. The examination combines discourse analysis with insights into practice gained through participant observation and in-depth interviews. By focusing on the micro level and the issue of ethnic classrooms in Osaka it will become clear that multicultural coexistence, though often criticised as an anodyne catchphrase, has the potential to promote the right to ethnic education.