Drama for dialogue of civilizations: Performance as storytelling in the adult ESOL classroom

Abstract

AbstractPrior research points to many affordances of drama and storytelling for language learning, identity exploration, and intercultural dialogue (e.g., Belliveau & Kim, 2013; McGovern, 2017; Schewe, 2013) as well as ethical risks associated with engaging multilingual learners in performative pedagogies (Cañas, 2015; Piazzoli & Kir Cullen, 2021). This ethnographic case study of an adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program in which students devised and performed a play centered on how performative storytelling positioned learners and how its focus on intercultural dialogue around mutual understanding contributed to peacebuilding. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; 2019) illustrated how drama created space for dialogue, positioning students as actors worthy of being heard and competent at telling their stories in ways that reflected a nuanced view of the student‐actors. The authors assert that representational ethics must be considered in order for performative pedagogies to work towards peacebuilding rather than towards further marginalization of immigrant and refugee communities.