ERIC Number: EJ1424191
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0039-8322
EISSN: EISSN-1545-7249
Neoliberalizing Subjects through Global ELT Programs
TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, v58 n2 p693-725 2024
A recent surge in textbooks studies has revealed a closer link with neoliberalism and the way they construct neoliberal subjects. This paper uses Foucauldian governmentality as the conceptual lens to analyze the neoliberal discourses in EFL textbooks used in English Access Microscholarship (EAM)--one of the US-aided global ELT programs in Pakistan. English language learners' views on course outcomes and textbooks were also examined. The study shows that among others, English as a neoliberal life skill, celebrity culture, consumerism, entrepreneurship, and individual and corporate social responsibility dominate textbooks. It is thus found that textbooks play an important role in neoliberalizing learners. Moreover, English language learners perceive English as a key to economic success. They also value consumerism, branding, and personal responsibility. In light of the study findings, we suggest a decolonial option, reflective activism, and post-method pedagogy as possible alternatives at the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels to resist the discourses of neoliberalism and colonial power patterns entrenched in a postcolonial society like Pakistan.
Descriptors: Neoliberalism, Global Approach, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Foreign Countries, Discourse Analysis, Textbooks, Consumer Economics, Marketing, Responsibility, Decolonization, Reflection, Activism, Resistance (Psychology)
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pakistan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A