English and glocal justice : rethinking language, power, and advocacy

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of English in advancing social justice by positioning the language not as a neutral global set of skills but as a contested resource shaped by the interplay of global structures and local practices. Drawing on the concept of glocalisation, it highlights English’s dual role as both a bridge for intercultural dialogue and a barrier that reinforces inequalities rooted in colo-nial histories and neoliberal ideologies. Through examples from diverse educa-tional contexts, the chapter explores how hegemonic discourses reproduce systemic inequities, whereas glocal pedagogical practices offer pathways for advocacy and empowerment. Teachers and school leaders are examined as glocal agents whose agency, shaped by personal histories and institutional contexts, enables resistance to exclusionary practices and fosters inclusive education. The chapter culminates in the articulation of a glocal justice lens, a conceptual framework that integrates struc-tural critique, pedagogical transformation, and agency-in-context. This framework calls on policymakers, school leaders, teachers, and teacher educators to reconcep-tualise English education as a means of fostering equity, solidarity, and advocacy across local and global scales, thereby contributing to ongoing debates on language, justice, and education.