Abstract

Abstract: The expansive function of English as a global lingua franca has prompted sustained critique of established practices in English language teaching (ELT), particularly those grounded in monolingual ideologies and normative conceptions of language that have so often marginalized multilingual voices and perspectives. In our increasingly divisive geopolitical climate, marked by populist rhetoric, anti-immigration sentiment, and erosion of trust in diversity, such critiques acquire renewed urgency. In this paper I re-examine the impact of these critiques for language teachers and teacher educators, re-viewing where we are in relation to recent developments. The paper argues for a reorientation of ELT practices and teacher education towards valuing linguistic diversity and promoting critical engagement with the sociopolitical forces that shape our classrooms. With reference to ongoing research projects conducted in HE settings in the UK, Spain and Türkiye I explore how teacher educators and practitioners can resist the assimilating pressures of populist discourses by foregrounding multilingualism as both a pedagogical resource and a form of cultural agency. This entails: (1) promoting engagement with wider geopolitical trends and the impact of sociocultural change on our learning and teaching spaces; (2) exploring both the opportunities and challenges brought about by developments in technology. By situating language education within broader debates about identity and power, we can emphasize the transformative potential of criticality in teacher education. I argue that valuing multilingual voices is not only an educational imperative but also an act of resistance against the exclusionary tendencies of a populist narrative–a resistance against discourses that have created a hostile environment, in which public opinion is manipulated against migration, giving rise to antagonism and suspicion towards diversity and “non-elite” multilingualism. Added to this, we have the rapid expansion of generative AI, which, while offering fascinating potential for innovation, also brings additional pressures on recent moves to embrace diversity, potentially undoing recent gains. Ultimately, my paper asks: How can educators cultivate spaces where linguistic diversity is properly valued as a means of pushing back against a populist narrative, reasserting the power of a critical, inclusive dialogue?