Object authenticity applied to imaginaries of racialized national culture: English-language-school sojourners in Australia

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of international sojourners attending English-language schools in Australia, exploring how social imaginaries shape perceptions of authenticity. Using qualitative stakeholder interviews, we investigate sojourner expectations of “authentic” cultural encounters and their reactions when such imaginaries meet the complex realities of multicultural Australia. Teachers play a unique role, serving as both facilitators of cultural understanding and, paradoxically as participants in a staged performance of authenticity to meet students' preconceived expectations. The study highlights the tensions of cultural authenticity in intercultural learning contexts and suggests a need for language schools to adopt critical pedagogical approaches that challenge sojourners' assumptions.