When ‘struggling with English’ becomes ‘passivity’: how language asymmetries in higher education get masked as ‘cultural differences’

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the study of power imbalances in intercultural encounters by investigating the role of language differences in the construction and deconstruction of ‘cultural differences’. Adopting a Critical Discursive Psychological approach, it demonstrates how self- and other-perceived language proficiency differences can lead to the (re)production of cultural stereotypes. At the same time, evaluations of language proficiency differences might also be used to resist cultural explanations. Taking the example of international management higher education, the study shows how students with self-evaluated stronger English proficiency regularly draw on culture as explanatory factor when describing their perceptions of ‘weaker’ English speakers’ engagement in teaching and learning activities. The study, which is based on 46 student reflexivity papers, thus demonstrates that overlooking the role of language differences in intercultural encounters might lead to stereotyping processes. Language-related power asymmetries get therefore masked as ‘cultural differences’.