Dr. Julie Owen was honored to have her book, We are the Leaders We’ve Been Waiting For: Women and Leadership Development in College (2020, Routledge), translated into Japanese by Momo Waguri (Fukuoka Women's University), Michiko Izumitani (Soka University), and Toru Kawai (Ritsumeikan University) and published by Nakanishiya Shuppan Publishing. Scholars from several universities in Japan approached Dr. Owen about the translation as part of a larger movement to support women’s adult development and socially-responsible leadership development in Japan. Rooted in feminist and intersectional theories, the volume examines gender socialization and how it shapes both barriers and bolsters of women in leadership. Designed for developing leaders and college classrooms, the book takes a lifespan and inclusive approach to gender tracing women’s access to leadership from youth to college and careers. Narratives of college students are included in every chapter to illuminate the variety of ways those who identify as women traverse the leadership labyrinth.
Dr. Aoi Yamanka, also from SIS and HEP, provided invaluable support to the project, including conducting site visits to Fukuoka Women's University. The entire team of scholars (Waguri, Izumitani, Kawai, Yamanaka, & Owen) have presented on "Transnational Approaches to Women and Leadership Identity Development" at the International Leadership Association Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. In the spring of 2024, they also conducted an international symposium titled “Leadership for What and for Whom? Reimagining Leadership Education in College” hosted by the University of Tokyo’s Integrated Human Sciences Program for Cultural Diversity, in collaboration with the Women and Leadership Education Research Project (WALP) and Rie Okamura from Saitama University. There are also plans for a symposium for leadership educators across Japan in Spring 2026.
女性とリーダーシップ とリーダーシップ: 待ち望んでいたリーダーはわたしたち (We are the Leaders We’ve Been Waiting For: Women and Leadership Development in College) (2024). Nakanishiya Shuppan Publishing. Japanese translation by Momo Waguri (Fukuoka Women's University), Michiko Izumitani (Soka University), & Toru Kawai (Ritsumeikan University).
October 23, 2024