Doing culture, doing race: everyday discourses of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural difference’ in the English as a second language classroom

Abstract

While current conceptualisations of the inextricable connection between language and culture in English language education are largely informed by complex sociocultural theories that view culture as constructed in and through social practices among people, classroom practices continue to be influenced by mainstream discourses of culture that simplistically construct essentialised cultural/racialised identities. This article will present data excerpts from a case study of a Canadian university -based English as a second language (ESL) programme that specifically emphasised in its pedagogical and curricular design the significance of learning language through culture and a process of cultural analysis. In various classrooms observed, however, the programme's dialogic approach to culture most often manifested as cross/intercultural comparisons of cultural difference. The potential danger of this pedagogical approach to culture in the ESL classroom, however, arises with a contextualisation of the English language in broader identity politics -namely, the equating of the English language with Whiteness -where discourses of 'culture' can become a proxy for 'race'. Seemingly innocuous everyday common-sense discussions of 'culture' in second language education may thus construct identities in problematic ways. It is therefore imperative for us to critically reflect on how our pedagogies may be 'doing race' through 'doing culture' in the ESL classroom.

What happens in your country? Teacher constructions of adult EAL students’ cultural identities

“…On this topic, Atkinson (1999) questions how people can be viewed as only members of static and homogenous cultural groups and how other aspects such as political, educational and religious inf luences can be left aside. Lee (2015) concludes by saying that the practice of exploring culture in EAL classrooms may end up as a practice of race.…”

“…According to Claire, this comparison of cultures was done with the premise that it leads to an interesting class discussion, and according to Emma, that it resolved cultural misunderstandings in the class. As Lee (2015) says, such a process of cultural comparison emphasises differences based on racial origin. Further, it is important to note that the use of the question "what happens in your country?"…”

“…During these processes of comparison, students were asked for their opinions as representatives of their country rather than as individuals. Lee's (2015) study highlights teachers' underlying assumptions of difference between the target language culture and that of the students, thereby creating an arbitrary division between the two. Such dichotomisation does not consider the process of cultural change, and also does not take into account the inf luences of cultures on each other (Blackledge & Pavlenko, 2001).…”

“…Teachers' assumptions based on students' cultural origin may also lead to the teacher having correspondingly low or high expectations of student success in language learning (Vollmer, 2000). Cultural stereotyping also creates an environment of cultural otherness, wherein differences between the majority group's culture and the students' cultural backgrounds are accentuated, and students' identities are also thereby restricted to their geographical country of origin, which is constructed on racebased differences (Lee, 2015). There is also the concern that cultural stereotyping by teachers leads them to view their students as mere representatives of their culture, rather than as persons with their own individual identities (Kumaravadivelu, 2002).…”

“…Ryan and Louie (2005) further state that other factors than culture such as the students' personal interests and their level of motivation need to be considered in the classroom, and that the assumption that cultures are stable and non-changing over years is disruptive to learning and teaching. Lee (2015) aimed to examine the manner in which culture was conceptualised in an EAL program at a university in Canada.…”