Cultures and identities in ELT classrooms: Global considerations in the local context of Argentina

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to explore the current state of affairs in English literacy education nowadays in relation to cultural and identity issues as addressed in this book within the current international scenario of English language teaching (ELT) worldwide. I take the case of English rather than any of the several languages mentioned throughout the book because of two reasons. The first one is practical and brief: I am myself a teacher of English and this is my field of expertise both in teaching and research. The second more profound reason is that English is undoubtedly recognized as an international language nowadays, and therefore the discussion in this chapter may be relevant not only to ELT in the Latin American region, but also to other countries outside South America. Let me explain. In the field of TESOL, the voices from many countries in the periphery have been heard, especially from Asia and Africa, belonging to what Kachru (1996: 137) calls ´expanding and outer circles´. However, the Latin American perspective has been and still is underrepresented in general in academic publications. Hence, I wish to put forward my stance as an English as a foreign language (EFL) educator, teacher educator, researcher, and curriculum writer from one country in Latin America, namely Argentina. The chapter is organized as follows. I start with some general observations about ELT nowadays. These considerations certainly apply to ELT in Latin America, but are simultaneously and purposefully linked to, and/or derived from, ELT in other international contexts. These observations concern the complex question of culture within ELT, especially within EFL education, which is dominant in Latin America. This cultural dimension lends itself to a consideration of identity issues, which take much of the focus of this chapter. This discussion involves an examination of the inseparability between the individual and the universal in ELT in general.I also touch upon the political and ideological agendas (more or less) hidden behind ELT as reflected in the discourse of imperialism. My aim here is to connect this line of thought with the visualization of this chapter as an example of ELT as lived in a local setting. Seen in this light, this chapter responds to current calls from all the actors involved in the discourse of imperialism: the importance of the individual and the local in descriptions of how literacy in English is lived in peripheral countries, of which Argentina is an example. In addition, given the pervasive linguistic and cultural diversity that educators face in their classrooms nowadays, not only in Latin America as we see in this book but also worldwide, I briefly review the conceptualization of the EFL classroom as a Third Space. This notion is relevant as it caters for the need to discover what unites human beings, with a focus on commonalities and bonds, in an attempt to be as much at ease as possible with each others' languages, cultures, and individualities. I strive to explicate the notion with specific examples from the Argentinean educational context.The chapter concludes with a description of the current scenario regarding the aforementioned issues in Argentina.