Using a Raciolinguistic Perspective to Examine the English Teacher Eligibility Policies of China and South Korea

• In Event: The Intersection of Race and Language in Bilingual Education Programs and Policies

Abstract

Drawing on a raciolinguistic perspective, this study explored what raciolinguistic ideologies were embedded in the eligibility policies for English teachers in China and South Korea. We examined official government and main agency websites on foreign teacher eligibility to teach English. The findings showed that their eligibility policies positioned white teachers as legitimate native speakers of English while strategically excluding nations consisting of predominantly racialized populations despite English being spoken as their primary/official language. Our analysis showed that the raciolinguistic ideologies that were ingrained in these policies are characterized by white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and anti-Asianness. The study addresses the importance of examining international language policies that perpetuate raciolinguistic ideologies that idealize white English speakers while marginalizing racialized English speakers.

Authors

• Koeun Park, University of Hawai'i - West O'ahu

• Nuo Xu, Bowling Green State University