EMI In Algeria: Theorizing As A Vehicle For The Internationalization Of Local Knowledge In The Social And Human Sciences

English has recently been adopted as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in Algerian higher education.An important question that should be asked about this is whether or not the use of EMI will necessarily lead to a paradigm shift in the way Algerian academics in the social and human sciences (SHSs) conceptualize their research activities.The present paper attempts to answer this question with specific reference to two closely related concepts: 'community of practice' and 'discourse community'.Assuming that language and the disciplinary conception of reality are intrinsically related, this article which defends the argument that embracing this global medium of instruction provides favorable conditions for the emergence of local paradigms that are both more reflective and more responsive to Algerian reality.The article also says that this process can only be enhanced principled-based theorizing is integrated into the SHSs curricula.The paper culminates with a presentation of Value Determinism Theory (VDT) as an early example of local theorizing.