ARRCIMS Seminar: Dr. Werner Delanoy "Quo Vadis Cultural Learning and Language Education?"

Quo Vadis Cultural Learning and Language Education? 

Werner Delanoy 

The central aim of my talk is to suggest a foundation for a timely concept of cultural learning and (English) language education. The pillars for such a framework are threefold. First, a case is made for a cultural learning perspective addressing topical socio-cultural challenges. The theories included in this part comprise transcultural and cosmopolitan concepts, plus approaches to global citizenship education. Secondly, a notion of language education is presented which is symbolic and multimodal in approach. Such a perspective is informed by Claire Kramsch’s (2009) understanding of symbolic competence, identity-focused language acquisition theories and the multiliteracies approach. Thirdly, attention is drawn to transforming conflictual positions into dialogic relationships, with a special focus on mediation practices. Being neither exhaustive in scope nor definitive in claim, the perspective suggested can only give a provisional answer to the question in the title. 

In the first part, a concrete text will be introduced to help illustrate the issues and theories addressed. The text in question is Farrukh Dhondy’s short story Come to Mecca (1978), which I have already discussed in other publications (Delanoy 2008, 2019). While the text still permits a complex and multi-dimensional discussion of topical issues, it also poses important limitations resulting from its pre-digital setting and the exclusion of ecological issues. 

Event contact: bettina.beinhoff@aru.ac.uk