Banal nationalism and conversational cosmopolitanism: the potential of online language education for intercultural communication
Curran, N. M. (2023). Banal nationalism and conversational cosmopolitanism: the potential of online language education for intercultural communication. Language and Intercultural Communication, 23(3), 333-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2023.2184826
Abstract
This article considers the potential of language-focused online teaching platforms (OTPs) for fostering intercultural communication among their users. Drawing on interviews alongside an analysis of two OTPs websites, I argue that OTPs' webpages (re)produce banal nationalism grounded in nation-language congruence and instrumentalist language ideologies that conceive of language learning in terms of potential socioeconomic gains. However, I also find that: (1) learners' experiences can result in them questioning essentialist language ideologies; and (2) many users embrace a language ideology of conversational cosmopolitanism, which is premised on open-minded interaction with others and is consistent with the goals of intercultural communication educators.
