Exploring privilege and marginalization in elt: A trioethnography of three diverse educators

Abstract

This trioethnographic inquiry weaves together the narratives of three researchers and language educators, as they carry out a critical dialogue to reflect on, question and challenge how they negotiate their evolving identities in the field of ELT. Two of the authors are emerging scholars, English language teachers and former doctoral students of the third co-author, an established scholar and professor at the University of Toronto. In this dialogic process, the three researchers bring in their own narratives to critique and deconstruct essentialized narratives and identity categories while questioning the construction, perpetuation and maintenance of privilege and marginalization in ELT. The trioethnography highlights how the countries where the authors have lived and worked – Canada, Colombia, USA and Sri Lanka–, the languages they speak – English, French, Spanish and Sinhalese –, as well as their social class, race and religion, have in turn granted them privilege or led to their marginalization.