The Decolonial Option in English Teaching: Can the Subaltern Act?

Abstract

In this reflective article that straddles the personal and the professional, the author shares his critical thoughts on the impact of the steady stream of discourse on the native speaker/nonnative speaker (NS/NNS) inequity in the field of TESOL. His contention is that more than a quarter century of the discoursal output has not in any significant way altered the ground reality of NNS subordination. Therefore, he further contends, it is legitimate to ask what the discourse has achieved, where it has fallen short, why it has fallen short, and what needs to be done. Drawing insights from the works of Gramsci (1971) on hegemony and subalternity, and Mignolo (2010) on decoloniality, the author characterizes the NNS community as a subaltern community and argues that, if it wishes to effectively disrupt the hegemonic power structure, the only option open to it is a decolonial option which demands result‐oriented action, not just “intellectual elaboration.” Accordingly, he presents the contours of a five‐point plan of action for the consideration of the subaltern community. He claims that only a collective, concerted, and coordinated set of actions carries the potential to shake the foundation of the hegemonic power structure and move the subaltern community forward.

Colombia’s nationwide EFL policy and the construction of equity in policy documents

“…Overall, the document seems to reinforce the message that Colombia is financially dependent on foreign institutions without whom educational developments would be unfeasible. Likewise, it strengthens the argument that equity is submitted to higher powers; through centered produced methods, materials, and testing, the hegemony of wellestablished organizations, such as BC, are maintained (Kumaravadivelu, 2014). The previous illustration of BC's involvement in Colombia highlights a current social belief that has reset the models of work organization.…”

Post-critique in contemporary ELT praxis

“…Given the small number of participants, my own conclusions are necessarily tentative, but they do point to the need for more critical teacher education programs, as well as further inquiry into the applicability of critical literacy theories to ELT praxis. Such inquiry can help us prevent critical literacy from becoming another fetishized concept that merely increases the prestige of academia 15 , and at the same time challenge centre-based knowledge and materials (KUMARAVADIVELU, 2016); it can also point to ways of engaging with social movements so as to "make the inherent theory in these practices flourish so that people can appreciate the theories of their own practice" and recognize themselves as "organic intellectuals" (FREIRE; MACEDO, 2003, p.364).…”

“…Maybe Elaine's low self-esteem was shared by other participants, all of whom were non-native teachers of English in Brazilian public schools, who are often less well-paid than teachers in private language schools and may therefore harbour an inferiority complex. This inferiority complex, according to Kumaravadivelu (2016), is typical of non-native teachers of English, who only have an idealized notion of native speakers' linguistic competence and yet continue to reinforce it, remaining complicit in their own marginalization. Adopting center-based methods and materials, which constitute "the engine that propels the hegemonic power structure" (p.73), contibutes to this marginalization.…”

“…Although theorists such as Canagarajah prioritize linguistic diversity and speakers' intelligibility and communicative competence, linguistic imperialism is still "alive and kicking", as suggested by Kumaravadivelu (2016). Hence the need for critical reflexivity on all levels of ELT praxis, including classroom research, course planning, materials development, teacher education, policy making, and teaching.…”

Revisiting the Need for Critical Research in Undergraduate Colombian English Language Teaching

“…Kumaravadivelu (2016) argues, based on the Gramscian concept of hegemony, that power structures construct subaltern subjectivities through "an ensemble of political, social, cultural, [and] economic relations that weaken [subalterns'] will to exercise their agency" (p. 76). This means that the two previous dimensions of coloniality, their practical elements and their links to the coloniality of power, contribute to construct non-native English speaking teachers as subaltern professionals.To exercise resistance against coloniality, Kumaravadivelu (2016) states that actions emerging from the subalterns themselves could challenge and change the set of relations that marginalize them; this could happen when subalterns gain critical consciousness and develop a collective will to act. Based on Mignolo's (2007a) "grammar of decoloniality", Kumaravadivelu (2016) offers a set of actions for non-native teachers to begin decolonizing ELT.…”