Critical Race Theory for Language Teacher Identity Research and Practice in English Language Teaching

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is essential in understanding language teacher identity (LTI) as it highlights implicit and explicit power relations in language teacher education. CRT offers a conceptual and pedagogical framework, focusing on the intersected nature of LTI, including racialized identity, to understand how systemic inequities and biases affect language teachers’ professional experiences. This chapter begins with a brief overview of the conceptualization of race in the field of language teacher education, followed by the historical background and key principles of CRT, such as intersectionality and counternarrative, and its subsets. It then reviews empirical studies on LTI that employ these principles. Additionally, the chapter examines the status of CRT in the United States and in the global context, also addressing the backlash against CRT and teacher resistance to CRT bans in the US. Finally, it provides recommendations for researchers and educators in the field of language teacher education, exploring various ways to use CRT as a theoretical, analytical, and pedagogical framework for LTI research and practice.