Identity-In-Relation

Language teacher identity (LTI) theory carries unquestionable relevance within the field of Applied Linguistics and Language Teacher Development studies. Evidence is shown by the growing body of literature dedicated to the topic in the last decades. For the purposes of this section, this chapter aims to place contemporary LTI theory under new scrutiny from a decolonial perspective. In doing so, it begins with a historical overview on teacher development theories so as to locate how distinct philosophical paradigms—particularly modernity and postmodernity—have differently informed LTI over time. Once rooted in social psychology, LTI studies shifted towards a more integrative, sociocultural perspective. Despite sociocultural studies—and even poststructuralist theory—claim to surpass essentialist and dualist concepts of identity by favoring a more fluid dynamic view, action-oriented and discursively-constituted identities still seem to neglect a missing element, that is, the relational nature of identity formation. Inspired by the notion of identity-in-community, I bring together Global South notions, such as confluence and organicity, relationality and opacity, coalition and disposition, so as to advocate in favor of a relational-oriented identity theory.