Lost in Translation: Cross-Cultural Experiences in Teaching Geo-Genealogy
Paul A. Longley; Alex D. Singleton; Keiji Yano; Tomoki Nakaya (2010). Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 34(1), 21-38. DOI: 10.1080/03098260902982476
Abstract
This paper reports on a cross-cultural outreach activity of the current UK ‘Spatial Literacy in Teaching’ (SPLINT) Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), a past UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant, and shared interests in family names between Japanese and UK academics. It describes a pedagogic programme developed for Japanese postgraduates and advanced undergraduates that entailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of the spatial distributions of Japanese family names. The authors describe some specific semantic, procedural and theoretical issues and, more generally, suggest how names analysis provides a common framework for engaging student interest in GIS.
Extended Summary
This research explores how geographical information systems (GIS) education can be effectively delivered in international settings through the analysis of family name distributions. The paper documents an intensive week-long course delivered by UK academics to Japanese university students, using spatial analysis of Japanese surnames as a teaching tool to demonstrate core GIS principles and spatial literacy concepts. The methodology involved lectures on geodemographics and GIS fundamentals, hands-on practical sessions using ArcGIS software, and a group project analysing Japanese family name distributions across 47 prefectures. Students worked in pairs to create choropleth maps showing count scores, index scores, and percentage distributions for allocated surnames, combining quantitative spatial analysis with qualitative research into name origins and meanings. The course utilised data from Acton Wins Co. Ltd containing 47 million records of Japanese family names with geographic coordinates, providing students with authentic demographic data for analysis. Key findings revealed several cross-cultural challenges in teaching geo-genealogy, particularly the complexity of transliterating Japanese Kanji characters into Roman script. Multiple Kanji characters can produce identical Romanised surnames, creating uncertainty in spatial analysis that mirrors broader issues of data quality and measurement uncertainty in geographic research. Students successfully identified migration patterns, including historical movements from outlying islands like Okinawa to metropolitan areas, and recognised the geographic concentration of specific surnames in their regions of origin. The course feedback indicated that spatial analysis provided an effective ‘lingua franca’ for understanding geographic processes across cultural boundaries. Students developed technical skills in GIS whilst gaining insights into Japanese migration patterns, residential mobility, and social mobility through family name distributions. The research demonstrates that surname analysis offers an engaging interdisciplinary approach to teaching spatial literacy, connecting abstract GIS concepts with personally relevant genealogical data. The pedagogical approach proved adaptable across different educational contexts, with self-paced online practicals accommodating varying English language abilities among Japanese students. This study contributes to geographic education by showing how family name analysis can serve as a common framework for international GIS training, whilst highlighting the importance of considering cultural and linguistic factors when adapting educational resources for cross-cultural delivery. The work suggests broader applications for using demographic data in spatial literacy education globally.
Key Findings
- Family name analysis provides an effective cross-cultural framework for teaching GIS principles and spatial literacy concepts internationally.
- Transliteration of Japanese Kanji characters creates unique data quality challenges, with multiple characters producing identical Romanised surnames.
- Students successfully identified historical migration patterns including movements from Okinawa and Hokkaido using spatial surname analysis.
- Self-paced online practicals accommodated varying English abilities whilst maintaining learning effectiveness across cultural boundaries.
- Surname mapping demonstrated geographic concentration patterns reflecting regional origins and historical settlement processes in Japan.
Citation
@article{longley2010lost,
author = {Paul A. Longley; Alex D. Singleton; Keiji Yano; Tomoki Nakaya},
title = {Lost in Translation: Cross-Cultural Experiences in Teaching Geo-Genealogy},
journal = {Journal of Geography in Higher Education},
year = {2010},
volume = {34(1)},
pages = {21-38},
doi = {10.1080/03098260902982476}
}