Cultural Representation

The approach to cultural analysis that was developed by Stuart Hall and his associates had a profound influence on our understanding of issues such as race, ethnicity, and gender. Within this tradition, cultures are viewed as sites of social action in which individuals and groups engage in contestation, resistance, and subversion. Operating at the interface among ideology, culture, and context, the study of cultural representation is of considerable value to applied linguists. Notable areas in which it can offer insights include studies of the construction of national identity, the postcolonial critique of language education, the stereotyping of bilingual/non-native language learners and educators, critical intercultural communication, and the design of language teaching materials. The discussion in this chapter betrays a bias towards the English language and the teaching of English (TESOL): a bias which I acknowledge with some discomfort. At the end of this chapter, I will discuss future directions. These include the anticipation that researchers working in/with other languages will continue to contribute to the ongoing work around cultural representation.