‘Parallax language planning and policy’ as a theory for navigating (con)(diver)gent interpretations of English Medium Instruction (EMI)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article introduces the theory of ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ which refers to the processes and the outcomes of reconciling various political and ideological variances by incorporating the fragments of different progressive discourses into synthetic language planning and policy. ‘Parallax’ captures the ‘changing’ nature of our interpretations of a phenomenon within a particular language planning and policy depending on our political, ideological and epistemological positions. ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ attests to the possibility of developing language plannings and policies that do not neatly fit into one particular position but rather interweave interpretations from various positions despite their contradictory natures. ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ understands that English Medium Instruction (EMI) is a contested terrain where the onto-epistemological, personal, pedagogical and political are interlocked, and it, thus, addresses the political construction of these differences (how they are rationalised, developed and disseminated) in policy defining, framing and making rather than the differences between various ideologies per se. This article draws on government policy initiatives, statistical reports, stakeholders’ interviews/speeches, scholars’ perspectives, news articles and social media posts to operationalise ‘Parallax language planning and policy’ as an analytical lens to examine the range of rationales, (im)possibilities, mechanisms and limitations to the sustainability of EMI in Moroccan higher education.