Inclusion and Wholeness: Rethinking Boundaries between the Formal and the Non-Formal in Japanese Public Education

Abstract

This paper reconsiders the concept of "inclusion" by examining conceptions of "totality/wholeness," while exploring conflicts and dilemmas among various actors across the boundaries between the formal and non-formal in the Japanese public education system. Referencing the process surrounding the enactment of the new law on securing educational opportunities, the notion of "diversity" is examined as it pertains to the conflict between "publicness" in formal schools, which includes ideas related to diversity and heterogeneity (otherness), and "freedom to educate" in non-formal education. Analysis suggests that it is undesirable to establish a definitive boundary between the two; instead, maintaining a form of tentative, intersectional, and responsive boundary would result in more effective understanding of the diverse needs of people who feel marginalized. Based on this, the author explores a theoretical model which withstands such questions of inclusion. From the perspective of the "included party," which has its own heterogeneous values in relation to mainstream value systems, the author proposes a "responsive wholeness" model in contrast to a "concentric totality" model in order to reexamine the idea of inclusion. Finally, the paper outlines suggestions for reexamining "inclusion" grounded in this model.