Introduction

Abstract

The last decade has been characterised by a pronounced attempt to include Global South perspectives into the field of applied linguistics and its branch of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. By drawing on language and thought of the North to articulate its own epistemology, the South has become complacent in its subordination to the North. Decolonisation is about “a deconstruction of how Applied Linguistics from the Global North has silenced other knowledges and many times stopped Applied Linguistics from realizing its own shortcomings”. Mobilising about and against the status quo has always come at a cost for Global South scholars. The decolonial option in foreign language education relies fundamentally on empowering the minoritised to act through a reconception of social and cultural structures. Finally, the global coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on Brazilian society. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.