Using English to Realise “the Chinese Dream”: The political-economic ideology of language planning in China

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GLAS Research Seminar with Lin PAN, Associate Professor and the Vice-Chair of the English Department at Beijing Normal University (BNU)

Open to all

Abstract

This paper examines how “the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” as the state’s ideology has influenced the global spread of English in China in recent decades and how the political economy of this ideology has affected the state’s foreign language planning.

To do so, this paper investigates the two recently promulgated national guiding principles of foreign language education policy documents, namely, the 2017 version of the English Curriculum Standards (2018 ECS) at the senior high education level and the 2022 version of the English Curriculum Standards (2022 ECS) at the compulsory education level. These documents were drafted, promoted, and implemented over the past decade, along with the advocacy of the fulfilment of the Chinese Dream. Through the lens of the global political economy (Marx, 1990 [1867]; Block, Gray, and Holborow, 2012; Block, 2017) and drawing upon the perspective of the modern world system (Wallerstein, 1989), this paper uncovers the different layers of this state ideology towards global English and English learning over the past decade in relation to the evolving political and economic contexts of China on the international stage.

The paper will also reveal, in a broader sense, how state ideologies towards English may evolve in contestations for economic and political power in the modern world system and how they could affect language planning.

Biography

Lin PAN (潘琳) is an associate professor and the vice-chair of the English Department at Beijing Normal University (BNU).

Before joining BNU, she worked as the Coordinator for the Mandarin Excellence Programme(MEP) and held the position of John Adams Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Education (IoE). During her PhD studies from 2006 to 2010, she was awarded the IOE centenary scholarship. Lin PAN previously worked as an associate professor at Beijing Language and Culture University and as a program officer at the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Her research interests encompass language ideologies, sociolinguistics, and language education. Lin PAN is the author of the book "English as a Global Language in China: Deconstructing the Ideological Discourse of English in Language Education," published by Springer International in 2015. Additionally, she co-edited "Mandarin Chinese Teacher Education: Issues and Solutions" published by UCL IOE Press in 2018. Lin PAN has published papers in various journals, including Language Policy, System, Visual Communication, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Applied Linguistic Review, and English Today. Currently, she is working on the second edition of the book "Exploring World Englishes: Language in a Global Context" with Philip Seargeant, to be published by Routledge.

Event format

The event will take place in person.

Simultaneous translation

The event will be delivered in the medium of English. You are welcome to ask questions in the medium of Welsh during the Q&A session. If you intend to do this, please contact mlang-events@cardiff.ac.uk by Saturday 3 February to request simultaneous translation.

Please note that 10% or more of those planning to attend will need to request this provision in order for it to be sourced and will be subject to resource availability.

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