Decolonizing English Language Education: Becoming a Critically Conscious Educator through a Humanizing Pedagogy of Love

Decolonizing English Language Education offers a grounded introduction to decolonial practices in language learning. It invites readers to problematize and rethink English language education by uncovering its deep ties to colonial history and imagining new, more humanizing possibilities for the contemporary classroom.

Spanning histories of empire to present-day policies and practices, this book traces how English has been commonly associated with power, opportunity, and mobility while also perpetuating inequality and marginalization. Molina guides teachers through a reflective and methodical journey: first, understanding how colonial legacies shape language education; then, moving toward decolonizing one’s own consciousness; and, ultimately, adopting practical strategies for a transformative pedagogy rooted in critical, decolonial love. Drawing on the author’s own experience and insights from Indigenous knowledge systems and critical traditions, this book emphasizes the importance of love, spirituality, and relationality in language teacher education. Case studies and hands-on examples highlight how teachers can use translingual, multimodal, and culturally sustaining practices to affirm learners’ diverse identities and gifts. This book effectively re-imagines language teaching not just as skills-based instruction but as a moral and transformative endeavor.

By incorporating decolonial practice and reflection into research, this book is ideal for policymakers, scholars, and teachers alike. It is a valuable resource for applied linguistics, language acquisition, second language acquisition theory and methodology, and practical courses offering work placements.

Sarina Chugani Molina is Professor at the University of San Diego. Her research foregrounds decolonial pedagogy, teacher identity, and justice-oriented work. She has published several books with Routledge, such as Family, School, Community Engagement and Partnerships (2015) and English Language Education and Social Inequality (2023), as well as articles and book chapters on leadership, mindfulness, and TESOL teacher development.