The Denial of Ideology in Perceptions of ‘Nonnative Speake’ Teachers

Abstract

There is now general acceptance that the traditional ‘nonnative speaker’ label for teachers of English is problematic on sociolinguistic grounds and can be the source of employment discrimination. However, there continues to be disagreement regarding how far there is a prejudice against ‘nonnative speaker’ teachers which is deep and sustained and connected to an inherent racism within the fabric of Western society. This article argues that there is such a deep and sustained prejudice but that it is not recognised because of a denial of the ideology which underpins it on two fronts. The first is perceptions of objectivity and accountability in the dominant modernist research paradigm. The second is common descriptions of other cultures, under the headings of individualism and collectivism, which appear on the surface to be neutral, but are in fact underpinned by cultural prejudice. However, a postmodern qualitative research methodology is able to engage with the subjectivities of the unspoken discourses of TESOL professionalism, and therefore to uncover elements of global positioning and politics behind the ‘nonnative speaker’ teacher label, which in turn reveal an ideology of racism.

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