Ressource pédagogique : Robert J. Fouser - Cold War Cosmopolitanism and Theorization of “Culture” and of the “Native Speaker” in Foreign Language Education in the United States from 1945-1970

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In this paper, I will explore the relationship between Cold War cosmopolitanism and theorization of the role of culture and of the “native speaker” in foreign language education from 1945 to 1970. The term “Cold War cosmopolitanism” comes from the research by Klein (2003, 2020) on cultural exchanges between the US and Asian countries during the immediate postwar period. Klein argued that to exert its influence in Asia amid competition with the Soviet Union, the US government promoted cultural exchange, both overtly and covertly, between the US and Asia to strengthen its hand in the competition with the Soviet Union. Similar cultural exchanges were promoted with Western European countries, particularly West Germany and Italy, and throughout Latin America. Cosmopolitanism was promoted to counter the isolationist tendencies that prevailed in the 1920s and 1930s. It also informed the development of more specialized area studies programs in US universities, such as Chinese and Japanese studies, which included language teaching and scholarly exchange.   The teaching of foreign languages and cultural exchange were viewed as an essential element in building cosmopolitan solidarity and, from 1946 to 1961, a series of policies, which culminated in the The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961(Fulbright–Hays Act), were implemented to promote these goals. As the cosmopolitan zeitgeist spread, Audiolingual theorists, such as Charles C. Fries and his protégé Robert Lado, elevated the place of “culture,” which ranges from high culture to material culture to everyday mores, in language teaching. The primacy of the native speaker, defined as an educated speaker of the “standard” variety of language, in Audiolingual theory led to a focus on the native speaker as a repository of culture, particularly as it related to everyday mores and social norms. The importance of the native speaker as a model of spoken language and as a source of cultural knowledge, stimulated efforts to bring learners in contact with native speakers in the US and by sending them abroad for various learning experiences. Examples of these efforts include the development of language houses on US university campuses, study abroad programs, student exchange programs, and teacher exchange programs.   Many of the practices established during this period remain an integral part of language education in the US, particularly at the university level. The research draws on a variety of primary and secondary sources from the period, such as scholarly articles, policy documents, new reports, and professional newsletter articles to show how researchers, practitioners, and policy makers developed and applied theories regarding the importance of culture and the role of the native speakers in the broader project of promoting cosmopolitan solidarity between the US and its allies/client states during the height of the Cold War.   Selected References:   Coombs, P. H. (1964). The fourth dimension of foreign policy: Educational and cultural affairs. New York: Harper & Row.   Fries, C. C. (1945). Teaching and learning English as a foreign language. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press.   Klein, C. (2003). Cold War orientalism: Asia in the middlebrow imagination, 1945-1961. Berkeley, Calif: Univ. of California Press.   Klein, C. (2020). Cold war cosmopolitanism: Period style in 1950s Korean cinema. Berkeley, Calif: Univ. of California Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.85   Lado, R. (1964). Language teaching, a scientific approach. New York, McGraw-Hill.   Parker, W. R., U.S. National Commission for UNESCO., & United States. (1957). The national interest and foreign languages: A discussion guide and work paper. Washington, D.C: G.P.O.

"Domaine(s)" et indice(s) Dewey

• Enseignement de la langue française (440.71)

Thème(s)