Abstract
This study examines the experiences of Narumi, an English heritage speaker raised in Japan by her Japanese mother and white American father, before, during and after studying abroad in the United States. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and Instagram data, analysis demonstrates how she navigated raciolinguistic positionings and identity renegotiation both in Japan and abroad. The study develops a synthesis of scalar theory, positioning theory and notions of self-translation to reveal how linguistic and racioethnic identity are contingent on the discursive regimes of specific social contexts, and how possible subjectivies can be transformed through mobility. Additionally, the findings illustrate the role of memory in mediating new subjectivities, exemplified in Narumi’s experience of study abroad as a site to confront the trauma of her past. By exploring the workings of language, race, and memory in transnational identity work, this research contributes to research on the implications of raciolinguistic ideologies in study abroad.