Volume: 7  Number: 1  Page: 72–90  doi:10.2167/laic184.0

English as a Global Language and Education for Cosmopolitan Citizenship

Manuela Guilherme Centro De Estudos Sociais, Universidade De Coimbra, Portugal

Due to the overriding power of World English in the global economy, media, academy, entertainment, etc., EFL education has become a crucial curricular element in the educational systems of developing societies. English language learning has therefore been portrayed either as a fundamental tool that unquestionably brings professional success or one that oppresses us under capitalism, neoliberalism and the global market. Without questioning the veracity of both descriptions, indeed precisely for this reason, this paper argues for a critical pedagogy of English as a Global Language. The use of English as a common language, but not as a lingua franca, can provide us with opportunities for acting as responsible cosmopolitan citizens, without implying the loss of our cultural and ideological roots or the transformation of the English language into a neutral, disengaged or unaffiliated medium. This paper attempts to theorise this hypothesis based upon the ideas of authors such as Santos on globalisation and the World Social Forum, as well as the statements of EFL teachers on curriculum development.

Keywords: English, globalisation, cosmopolitanism, citizenship, curriculum

© 2007 M. Guilherme

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