International Perspectives on the Teaching of English to Generate Hope

This sixth volume co-published with the International Federation for the Teaching of English offers a timely examination of English as an inspirational and emancipatory subject in times of global crisis, exploring how teachers enable students to face contemporary challenges while remaining resilient, critical and optimistic about the future.

Positioned in the post-Covid world, the book presents 24 chapters from IFTE countries and beyond, addressing urgent contemporary themes including the climate crisis, misinformation and censorship, nationalism and populism, education in neoliberal environments, and the impact of social media and AI. Contributors explore how literature provides endless sources of hope and fear, utopias and dystopias, offering young people vital reflective space in an age of ultra-anxiety and existential crisis. Topics covered include teacher preparation and resilience, the significance of literature in fostering critical thinking and personal response, and the dystopian challenges of patriarchy, racism, censorship and antidemocratic pressures. The volume recognizes work that is distinctive and local whilst celebrating international innovations and best practices, demonstrating how English remains the subject where urgent issues can be explored and the joy of human expression celebrated.

This international volume serves as an essential resource for English teachers, teacher educators, researchers and policymakers seeking to understand how the subject offers a rich environment for overturning despair, maintaining optimism and improving social justice in education.

Andrew Goodwyn is President of the International Federation for the Teaching of English and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He is Emeritus Professor at The University of Reading where he was Head of the Institute of Education.

Cal Durrant retired as Associate Professor in English Curriculum and Director of the Literacy Research Hub at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney.

Marshall George holds an endowed chair, the Olshan Professor of Clinical Practice, at Hunter College of the City University of New York

Jacqueline Manuel was Professor of English Education in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Wayne Sawyer is Emeritus Professor in the School of Education at Western Sydney University, Australia.

Melanie Shoffner is a professor of English education at James Madison University, USA.