Critically Engaged Literacy Workshop as Decolonial and Anti-Racist Pedagogy (April 16th, 2025)

Abstract

This talk introduces the Critically Engaged Literacy Workshop (CELW) as a decolonial research methodology and pedagogical approach that fosters critical awareness, anti-racist engagement, and transformative action. While applied linguistics increasingly recognizes the need for activist scholarship, there remains a gap in decolonial methodologies that guide research and pedagogy. CELW addresses this gap by providing a collaborative, participatory space where marginalized voices are centered through multilingual and multimodal narratives, fostering both reflection and action. Drawing on participatory action research and generative design tools, CELW goes beyond interpretation to facilitate agency, resistance to hegemonic structures, and social change. Through engaged interactions among researchers, educators, and communities, CELW promotes critical consciousness of language, power, and inequality while enabling meaningful activism. This talk will explore CELW’s theoretical foundations, its potential for disrupting colonial ideologies in English language education, and its implications for fostering more equitable, socially just learning environments.

Speaker

About the Speaker

Pramod K. Sah (PhD, The University of British Columbia) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language Education at The Education University of Hong Kong. As one of the World’s Top 2% scientists in Language and Linguistics, he focuses on social justice issues within English and multilingual education, advocating for anti-colonial and anti-racist approaches to language policy, pedagogy, and research. His work has appeared in numerous journals, including TESOL Quarterly, International Multilingual Research Journal, Linguistics and Education, Current Issues in Language Planning, The Language Learning Journal, and Learning and Instruction. He has also co-edited several books and special issues (International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Urban Education; International Multilingual Research Journal; International Journal of Bilingualism; RELC Journal) on various critical applied linguistic issues. He is a founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Education, Language, and Ideology.

Date

2025.04.16

Time

5-6 PM

Location

ZOOM (https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/Q3TC3LdwQe-VroqizNut4g)

Chair

Professor MIRHOSSEINI, Seyyed-Abdolhamid