When the conversation doesn’t include you: representations of transgender identities in EFL source materials

Abstract

Language has a strong symbolic power that needs to be understood in relation to its social meaning. From a poststructuralist perspective, it is through language that individuals construct and negotiate their multiple social identities in signifying discursive practices. However, habitus and doxa underlie the systems of power that approve discursive practices depending on their conformity with the norm. Then, those individuals whose identities are considered non-normative, such as women, homosexuals, or transgender people have been discursively excluded to the margins of society. Moreover, in the language-learning environment, educational materials have been shown to reflect hegemony by not questioning heteronormativity and cisnormativity. On the contrary, audiovisual media, that may be used as additional language-learning sources, have revealed a wider range of identity options. In this respect, Norton Peirce’s (1995) model of investment emerged with a view to explore the impact of identity options in learners’ investment in language learning. Nevertheless, no research to date has focused either on the underrepresentation of transgender people in textbooks and audiovisual media, or on the impact that such visibility may have in learners’ investment. Thus, this paper aims, firstly, to consider the extent to which transgender people are represented in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) written sources. Secondly, the range of subject positions present in an audiovisual source will be explored and compared with that in textbooks. Finally, the impact that trans visibility in language learning sources may have on learners’ investment will be discussed, together with the role of EFL teachers in dealing with silenced identities in the classroom. The study revealed that whereas transgender misrepresentation in language-learning textbooks is still an issue, audiovisual media tend to offer a more realistic image of diversity in society. In line with previous studies, trans representation was suggested to enhance learners’ investment due to the wider range of subject positions which learners can use to participate in classroom practices. These results are discussed and suggestions for further research are given.