Engaging in antiracist discourse in the Japanese EFL classroom

Abstract Issues of race and racism have been extensively studied by educational and applied linguists; however, classroom practices to address such issues have not been adequately documented in the field of ELT, particularly in EFL contexts. This article, situated within the upper-secondary level EFL context in Japan, reports on antiracist pedagogy designed to raise awareness of various forms of racism and the intersection of race and English. The activities used in a unit on race and racism sought to engage students in antiracist discourse situated in global and local understandings of racism, incorporating various instructional topics and strategies. Results indicated that the activities afforded students a reflexive space where they revisited their understanding of race and racism and reflected on raciolinguistic ideologies prevalent in their society. This underscores the significant role that ELT can play in promoting antiracist education attuned to the local configuration of racism.