A History of IATEFL

Abstract

You would be forgiven for walking past this book in a bookshop – after all, how gripping is a history of an association likely to be? – but in fact, you would be missing a treat, because, in its own understated way, A History of IATEFL is a real page-turner. Shelagh Rixon and Richard Smith have put together not just a thorough historical account of how the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language was formed and how it grew into what it is today, but also a fascinating story of the squabbles, the plotting, and the occasional full-blown revolts that went on in the early days between the founders and those who wanted IATEFL to take a more radical path. There were some colourful figures and some big egos involved, but more importantly, the infighting reflected deep-rooted, passionately held disagreements about the English language, English language teaching, and principles of democratic governance. While the last 30 years have seen fewer public fights, the tensions remain, because, of course, the disagreements remain: questions about the ownership of English, the best way to teach, and the running of the organization are as hotly disputed now as they were then. So what we have here is not just a good reference work, but also a very good yarn.