Abstract
I understand the internationalization process as linked to modern/colonial thinking, which leads to tensions and complexities, including in attempts to delink (Mignolo, 2007) from this dominant way of being/knowing. Despite being imperfect, efforts towards decolonial options can teach us possibilities and help us exercise our imaginations, which might open space to a university otherwise (Escobar, 2007). Considering that, this paper sheds light on my experience with course planning in Languages without Borders (LwB), a national and public program that promotes language learning for internationalization purposes in Brazilian universities. In this sense, I analyze three courses I developed in 2019 within LwB. To do so, I engage in an autoethnographic study (Eriksson, 2010), dialoguing with decolonial studies (Castro-Gómez, 2007, Grosfoguel, 2007, Mignolo, 2011). The (self)analysis reveals conflicts and contradictions in a process marked by delinking and reproducing modern/colonial thinking in attempts to teach English from critical perspectives. Additionally, tensions between expectations in relation to learners and personal understandings are explored, highlighting the complexities of meaning negotiation.
Presenters
Nayara Stefanie Mandarino SilvaStudent, Master's, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Paraná, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
DECOLONIALITY, ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING, HIGHER EDUCATION, LANGUAGES WITHOUT BORDERS
