Taking Chinese to the World

Language, Culture and Identity in Confucius Institute Teachers

By (author) Wei Ye

Publication date:

13 September 2017

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781783098637

In this book the author explores the work and living experiences of Confucius Institute Chinese teachers (CICTs) in the UK, how they interpret and make sense of their sojourning experience, and how this context and the wider globalised social environment have impacted on their understandings and their personal growth. Because of their betwixt and between situation, the CICTs’ stories differ from those of other immigrants, international students and pre-service student teachers, who have been the main focus in L2 identity research. The book offers new insights into the Confucius Institutes (CI) with real life stories from teachers drawn from blogs, interviews and focus groups, drawing attention in the process to weaknesses of the CI programme and offering suggestions for ways forward which will be of interest to both stakeholders and those responsible for future international exchange programmes.

Taking Chinese to the World is one of the first works published outside China that addresses issues around the development of the influential Confucius Institute network. It contributes to research in the field of intercultural education/communication by looking at the transnational experiences of Confucius Institute Chinese teachers who live and teach in the UK. Insightfully and sensitively it addresses the impact of working abroad, not only on Chinese teachers’ changed perception of the host culture but also on how they feel about their own country.