Description
This presentation examines the lived trajectories of two Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) working in a Japanese context to explore how linguistic hierarchies and neoliberal policy discourses shape professional legitimacy in English language education. Drawing on narrative data and informed by Bourdieu9s concepts of linguistic capital, habitus, and the linguistic marketplace, the study shows how native-speakerism is intensified by human-capital logics that privilege narrowly defined forms of English proficiency while devaluing multilingualism, pedagogical expertise, and intercultural competence. These structural conditions constrain career progression and affective wellbeing. At the same time, the teachers9 accounts reveal agentive strategies of resistance, including classroom practices that affirm students' linguistic identities and participation in professional networks advocating equity. By foregrounding NNEST voices, this paper reframes legitimacy in ELT as an ethical and compassionate practice and calls for more inclusive approaches to policy, teacher education, and professional recognition in Japan and comparable contexts.| Period | 16 May 2026 → 17 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event title | The 33rd Korea TESOL International Conference : Rethinking Language Education in Times of Change |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Seoul, Korea, Republic ofShow on map |