Resisting and creating alternatives to neoliberalism in ELT: a case study of three transnational language teachers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

ABSTRACT The effects of neoliberal ideologies in higher education (HE) today are manifested in different forms including self-reliance, intellectual fatigue, academic burnout, incessant competition, and constant frustration among teachers/students, and other precarious working conditions. Conceptualized through the arguments on creating possible alternatives to neoliberalism in relation to English language teaching (ELT), this article examines the ways in which three transnational TESOL teachers are negotiating, resisting, and creating alternatives to neoliberal ELT in their everyday pedagogical practices. The data emerged from two sources: (i) reflective journals and (ii) semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that while the teachers were subverting neoliberal ELT in their workplace, they became embroiled in complex mental situations, including self-consciousness, tensions, ambivalent positions, strong emotions, and other negative states of mind. In this context, extensive reading as a means for subverting neoliberalizing practices in ELT; father–son conversations as resistance to fierce competition in ELT; and portfolio reflection letters as tools for solidarity in neoliberal ELT are all possible strategies used by the three participants at their workplace. The paper closes with reflections on the forms of alternatives that have been exhibited by each teacher and implications for ELT.