In my shoes: empathy and critical emotional literacy in EFL lessons

Abstract

Part of an autoethnographic research project, this article reflects on two English lessons in which my undergraduate students were invited to discuss empathy in times of Covid-19 pandemic. I begin by arguing for the relevance of empathy and contextualizing my interest in the investigation of emotions in ELT, as well as my theoretical framework, which draws on the convergence of emotional and critical literacy theories. Next I provide an account of my lessons, based on an art installation entitled “The Empathy Museum”. My analysis of the lessons seeks to investigate the extent to which they were able to promote what Boler (1997) has termed a “semiotics of empathy”. I conclude by stressing the importance of emotional and critical literacy theories for formulating educational policies committed to political and social changes.