Unravelling intersectionality from identity to practice: a case study of how intersectional identity shapes a pre-service teacher’s perspectives on teaching practice

Although language teacher identity has attracted significant attention, limited research explores this identity through an intersectional lens, particularly among pre-service teachers. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, this study explores the intersectional identity construction of a pre-service teacher, focusing on how it evolves over time and shapes her perspectives on teaching practices. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, and arts-based visual methods. Findings reveal identity construction across three interrelated dimensions: contextual factors, privilege and marginalisation, and emerging professional dispositions. These were shaped by her lived experiences at the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, linguistic status, socioeconomic class background, and broader structural power dynamics. This study highlights the transformative evolution of intersectional identity into professional agency, as the participant redefined herself as ‘Nezha’. The participant emerged as an inclusive advocate for gender and sexual equity, a multilingual LGBTQ + educator committed to racial and linguistic diversity, and a rural revolutionised teacher planning to adopt transformative queer pedagogy, translanguaging practices, and LGBTQ + initiatives. The findings emphasise the dynamic, tension-filled, and continuously negotiated nature of intersectional identities across transnational contexts. Ultimately, this study highlights the value of intersectionality in preparing equity-minded pre-service teachers for diverse educational settings.