The Significance of Postcolonial Studies for The Cognitive, Socio-Affective, And Procedural Objectives In Multicultural Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

The study of postcolonial literature and culture corresponds with recent developments in the didactics of foreign language teaching at the advanced secondary school level and, for that matter, at the university level as well. This article aims to highlight three significant interfaces connecting postcolonial and didactic discourse. Firstly, the challenge posed by the "center" to the "periphery" implies a radical change in perspective and consciousness. In parallel, modern didactics have been advocating a transition from a teacher-oriented to a student-oriented approach, as part of a paradigm shift from "instructivism" to "constructivism," emphasizing a high degree of self-determination and learner autonomy. Secondly, the dialectics of "self" and "other" involve a dual search for identity, which is directed both inwardly and outwardly. What holds true for individual students and their peer groups during adolescence is, to a varying extent, applicable to many postcolonial communities during their extended journey of rediscovering self-awareness and self-respect. Thirdly, the significance of the intercultural learning process, often associated with empathy, becomes evident in Postcolonial Studies, the foreign language classroom, and academic discourse.