Open AccessRepresentations of Social Categories in an EFL Textbook Used at a Private Colombian University
Author(s) -
Gina Patricia Delgado
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
colombian applied linguistics journal/colombian applied linguistics journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2248-7085
pISSN - 0123-4641
DOI - 10.14483/22487085.8435
Subject(s) - ideology , identity (music) , sociology , critical discourse analysis , linguistics , pedagogy , political science , politics , aesthetics , law , philosophy
Nowadays textbooks are the focal materials used in language classes. Therefore, following the methods of the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this research report analyzes the ideological discourse present in an EFL textbook used at the languages center of a private Colombian university in order to determine how it portrays the members of the English speaking world, according to the social categories they belong to. The findings reveal that the ideological positions regarding the English speaking world displayed in the textbook divide the social categories into insiders and outsiders of this world. This division that is textually supported through the use of certain discursive strategies, might go beyond the written text itself and permeate wider Colombian societal practices that include discrimination at different levels and in consequence, could have a possible negative impact on the identity construction of Colombian EFL learners and teachers. Key words: Discourse historical approach, identity, investment, social categories, textbooks.