Perspectives from the ‘Other’: the need to decolonize the ESOL departments in Scottish colleges

Drawing from the findings of my recent PhD thesis, which explores ESOL lecturer identity through an intersectional lens in the Scottish further education context, this presentation examines the experiences of a specific ESOL lecturer who, as a non-native English speaker with a refugee background, navigates a sense of ‘otherness’ within the ESOL college sector. This feeling of ‘Otherness’ seems to be reinforced by colleagues—white, British, and native English speakers—who
often, unwittingly, overlook her positionality within the sector, interpreting their own interactions as ‘welcoming’ the ‘Other’. In addressing this issue, my presentation seeks to underscore the urgent
need for decolonizing practices within ESOL departments by fostering solidarity with marginalized voices and collaboratively dismantling systemic barriers that hinder diversity and inclusion in Scotland’s further education ESOL sector. This may be done by revisiting hiring practices, introducing meaningful training, and creating spaces for discussion within the institutions.