Entrepreneurs of the Self: Understanding Neoliberal Governance in Japanese Education

Abstract

This thesis explores the educational trajectories of Japanese students at an ‘élite’—and, thus, highly prestigious—Top Global University Project (TGUP) institution. Within Japan’s ‘enterprise society’, neoliberal reform scaffolds educational transitions, with few, if any, existing studies tracing Japanese character-building in terms of lived market subjectivities—a gap that this project, in part, seeks to address. Drawing on Foucault’s governmentality and operationalised through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), findings indicate that neoliberal trajectories are shaped by three broad aspects: strategic awareness and choice during educational transitions; the competitive culture fostered by shadow education, quantification, and the race to secure ‘élite’ higher education; and the regionalised and performative aspects of vocational recruitment. Placing these themes within Japanese society’s ‘bigger picture’, learner testimonies underscore the pervasive influence of neoliberalism within Japanese education, emphasising self-discipline, competitiveness, and marketability. Specifically, as learners transition from shōnen/shōjo (youth) to seinen (social adolescence) and shakaijin (social adulthood), the pressure to conform to market-driven demands for ‘functional’ human capital intensifies. As such, participants navigate the system pragmatically, focusing on personal gains and market competitiveness. In doing so, they internalise entrepreneurial values, where educational success is essential for economic and social validation.

Date of Award	22 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Ioannis Costas Batlle (Supervisor) & Sam Carr (Supervisor)