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Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching: Creating Responsible and Ethical Anti-Racist Practice
This timely and critical look at the teaching of English shows how language is used to create hierarchies of cultural privilege in public schools across the United States. Drawing on the work of four ESL teachers who pursued anti-racist pedagogical practices during their first year of teaching, the author provides a compelling account of how new teachers might gain agency for culturally responsive teaching in spite of school cultures that often discourage such approaches. She combines current research and original analyses to shed light on real classroom situations faced by teachers of linguistically diverse populations. This book will help pre- and inservice teachers to think about such challenges as differential achievement between language learners and “native-speakers”; hierarchies of languages and language varieties; the difference between an accent identity and an incorrect pronunciation; and the use of students’ first languages in English classes. An important resource for classroom teaching, educational policy, school leadership, and teacher preparation, this volume includes reflection questions at the end of each chapter.
“This is an important and timely book. How to best educate new Americans, including the best language policies, is a matter of controversy and dissent. Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching is must reading for teachers and school administrators, policymakers, and concerned citizens who are interested in a deeper understanding of how anti-racist pedagogical practices and culturally responsive teaching can work to engage all students moving forward.”—Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, dean and distinguished professor of education, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, co-author of Learning a New Land
“Foregrounding teachers’ voices, Motha lucidly conceptualizes ideological facets of teaching English—monolingualism, native speakerism, and standard language—as racialized practices that undergird colonial power and contradict pluricentric understandings of English. Her analysis is intellectually robust, morally engaging, and discursively accessible. This is a must-read for all ESL professionals.”—Ryuko Kubota, professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education, The University of British Columbia
Suhanthie Motha is assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Washington, Seattle.
“This is an important and timely book. How to best educate new Americans, including the best language policies, is a matter of controversy and dissent. Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching is must reading for teachers and school administrators, policymakers, and concerned citizens who are interested in a deeper understanding of how anti-racist pedagogical practices and culturally responsive teaching can work to engage all students moving forward.”—Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, dean and distinguished professor of education, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, co-author of Learning a New Land
“Foregrounding teachers’ voices, Motha lucidly conceptualizes ideological facets of teaching English—monolingualism, native speakerism, and standard language—as racialized practices that undergird colonial power and contradict pluricentric understandings of English. Her analysis is intellectually robust, morally engaging, and discursively accessible. This is a must-read for all ESL professionals.”—Ryuko Kubota, professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education, The University of British Columbia
Suhanthie Motha is assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Washington, Seattle.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 23, 2014
This is a fantastic examination of the TESOL profession in the context of racism and colonial history in the world today. It is written by a TESOL professional who wanted to dig deeper into the implications of her own field and actively incorporate anti-racist/oppressive practices into her work. As an English teacher myself, I was personally moved by the author's quest and very thankful to know I'm not alone in trying to unravel this complicated history and wanting to transform my own teaching practices. Although the book--as many good books tend to do--caused more questions than it provided answers, it was thought-provoking and I will keep many things said here in mind as I continue my career. The only thing that disappointed me is that the book focuses almost completely on English teachers within English-speaking countries (offering a lot of VERY useful advice for teachers of this kind), and barely touches on the subject of English teachers teaching in non-majority-English-speaking countries. This is a very different context, where the shame of being in an "ESL class" or of being a "non-native English speaker" do not have quite the same dynamic as it would within countries where English is the primary language. I hope that maybe in another book, the author will delve more into this topic, as I'm sure there is still a lot to explore in that realm. With that said, I'd recommend reading book if you teach the English language to anyone anywhere.
December 17, 2021
This book has given me a lot to think about. I took my time with it so I could really sit with the ideas and my reactions to those ideas. While there are differences in some of the issues/implications between the K12 focus here and my Adult Ed context, I think it would still be a meaningful read for other Adult/Higher Ed professionals. I leaned on my year working with middle school ELLs, but I have seen many of these patterns elsewhere. I’m grateful for work like this that helps me reflect on my teaching practice and role as an administrator.
November 12, 2017
Absolutely fabulous! Motha is perhaps a bit too steeped in the style of academia (and she is quite repetitious) but her pure intent, her candor, and her gall are to be admired. I️ found myself cheering Motha on with my notes in the margins, and frantically collecting sticky notes of references to others’ works that I️ intend to read next.
Every educator in America should read this book—and sooner rather than later.
Every educator in America should read this book—and sooner rather than later.
August 2, 2024
This is a terrific read for any educator, not just TESOL/ESL teachers. You will feel called out but in the most constructive way! I found it astonishing the way that English is still so connected with Empire and colonialism and how that manifests in the classroom. The reading is quite dense, because it is an academic study, but it is well worth it. Motha actually warns the readers in the introduction that this book is meant to get you recognizing, thinking, and reflecting on the colonialism in your teaching, but all application is up to the reader. Reflection and recognition is indeed valuable, but I do wish there could be a sequel that focuses on practical application of provincialized English in the classroom. Give us specific practices and strategies. Otherwise, this is a fantastic tool for all educators.
June 2, 2020
When I picked this book up, I had no idea how great it was or how deeply it would resonate with me. I am a white woman who teaches Spanish and ELD (English Language Development), and I am conflicted in those roles. This book validated my feelings and also helped galvanize my commitment to fully exploring the ways that my identity and the identities of my students intersect, and how I can use my voice to uplift theirs. I highly recommend it.
December 13, 2021
An absolute must-read for any English language educator.
June 27, 2024
What does it mean to teach English as a second language when teachers’ racial identities are inextricably interwoven in instruction? In Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching Suhanthie Motha examines the way race informs identity in the context of the classroom, how teachers interrogate the images and stereotypes surrounding ESL, and the extent to which teachers’ privileged positionality as English speakers influence their pedagogy and practice.
This book draws on classroom observations, interviews and transcripts of “afternoon teas”--unplanned and informal gatherings among four first year ESL teachers–held every two or three weeks over the course of a school year. “The five of us would sit on my family room floor, clustered around the coffee table, drinking strong tea and munching cucumber sandwiches, scones, and Sri Lankan mas-paan (meat-bread).”
Like English, tea is also complicated. Tea connotes comfort, community, contemplation, consolation, camaraderie, and creativity–as well as colonization and ceremonies that reinforce social hierarchies. The afternoon tea became a space in which the teachers could find connection and collaboration to negotiate “the complexities nestled at the nexus of race, language, power, and learning.”
Through afternoon teas, Motha explored the perspectives of four recent graduates of a Master’s program in TESOL and were embarking on their first year as ESL teachers in K-12 public schools. Three of the teachers were White women, conscious of the potential hegemony they could perpetuate intent on working against colonialism and racism embedded in ESL. One of the teachers was a Korean woman compelled to work against the unspoken assumption that White English teachers have greater legitimacy and authority than teachers of color.
The mere act of teaching ESL reproduces racism. This is not to say that English should not be taught but that it should be taught and learned with a consciousness of the colonialism couched in its acquisition.
This book draws on classroom observations, interviews and transcripts of “afternoon teas”--unplanned and informal gatherings among four first year ESL teachers–held every two or three weeks over the course of a school year. “The five of us would sit on my family room floor, clustered around the coffee table, drinking strong tea and munching cucumber sandwiches, scones, and Sri Lankan mas-paan (meat-bread).”
Like English, tea is also complicated. Tea connotes comfort, community, contemplation, consolation, camaraderie, and creativity–as well as colonization and ceremonies that reinforce social hierarchies. The afternoon tea became a space in which the teachers could find connection and collaboration to negotiate “the complexities nestled at the nexus of race, language, power, and learning.”
Through afternoon teas, Motha explored the perspectives of four recent graduates of a Master’s program in TESOL and were embarking on their first year as ESL teachers in K-12 public schools. Three of the teachers were White women, conscious of the potential hegemony they could perpetuate intent on working against colonialism and racism embedded in ESL. One of the teachers was a Korean woman compelled to work against the unspoken assumption that White English teachers have greater legitimacy and authority than teachers of color.
The mere act of teaching ESL reproduces racism. This is not to say that English should not be taught but that it should be taught and learned with a consciousness of the colonialism couched in its acquisition.
July 8, 2021
“This book is designed not to tell you what to do but rather to support you as you think, to provide you with explicit and purposeful scaffolding as you consider the presence of race, empire, and language ideologies in your practice.” (Motha, 2014, p.130)
I absolutely loved this book. I came to it from an unexpected angle as I am a communications/public relations professional asking questions about the power I hold. I appreciated Motha’s guidance and challenge as I made me think critically about how I need to respect each person’s unique voice and language rather than shifting it to match my preferred style or organizational (i.e. white) voice. I will continue to think of these lessons in the hopes of also doing my work “in a way that is responsible, ethical, and conscious of the consequences of our practice” (Motha, 2014, p. xxiii).
I absolutely loved this book. I came to it from an unexpected angle as I am a communications/public relations professional asking questions about the power I hold. I appreciated Motha’s guidance and challenge as I made me think critically about how I need to respect each person’s unique voice and language rather than shifting it to match my preferred style or organizational (i.e. white) voice. I will continue to think of these lessons in the hopes of also doing my work “in a way that is responsible, ethical, and conscious of the consequences of our practice” (Motha, 2014, p. xxiii).
November 12, 2014
took eons to finish (4w). well written but
dense. some practical advice. I'm glad I read it but can only imagine those that love anthropology, power structures, and language learning enjoying this work. definitely for my niche of ESL teachers.
dense. some practical advice. I'm glad I read it but can only imagine those that love anthropology, power structures, and language learning enjoying this work. definitely for my niche of ESL teachers.
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March 13, 2015371.82909 M9181 2014
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews