Intersectional lens to the study of racism in TESOL leadership: A narrative inquiry of a Nonnative English‐speaking leader (NNESL) exposing epistemological and institutional racism

Abstract

AbstractRacism in TESOL and other academic fields is nothing new, nor are discussions on the topic. However, a majority of the racist encounters discussed in existing literature report on the negative experiences of language teachers and/or students. An area that has historically been ignored and is long due exploration is the negative experiences of nonnative English‐speaking leaders (NNESLs), especially when they lead and/or interact with colleagues among whom ideologies of Whiteness and native English speakerism are dominant. With an aim to fill this gap, this article provides a narrative inquiry of an NNESL's experiences of facing epistemological and institutional racism as she leads a division within an International Branch Campus (IBC) of a U.S. university in an English as an international language (EIL) context in the Middle East. As the NNESL attempts to introduce necessary innovations and policy changes, her capacity as a change maker is questioned, partly due to her nationality, nonnativeness, race, and gender. This article is an attempt to uncover the racial discrimination experienced by NNESLs by providing examples of epistemological and institutional racism embedded in racist discourses and practices, and how it, directly or indirectly, plays a significant role in power relations, institutional structures, and identities, and has implications for the field of TESOL leadership.