Critical pedagogy in English for Academic Purposes and the possibility for ‘tactics’ of resistance

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of critical pedagogy and its central tenets, and how these have moved through language teaching into the realm of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and are manifest in current debates in the field. Tracing these debates opens the discussion to the applicability of critical pedagogy to EAP and consideration of the critiques that have been directed at these teaching practices. These include critiques of the metaphor of voice, the notion of empowerment, the relational positioning of subjects within EAP critical pedagogy practices, among others. In the final part of the paper, the author considers the possibilities for a Foucauldian ‘counter‐practice’ or resistance that will be relevant to the current precarious and tenuous positions of both EAP students and teachers. Specifically, De Certeau’s observations about strategies and tactics provide the opening for conceptualizing a set of resistance practices for both EAP students and teachers who are vulnerable because of their location within the institutional context.