ABSTRACT

The continual rise of English as a global lingua franca has meant that English literature, both as a discipline and as a tool in ESL and EFL classrooms, is being used in varied ways outside the inner circle of English. This edited collection provides an overview of English literature education in the Asia-Pacific in global times, bringing to international attention a rich understanding of the trends, issues and challenges specific to nations within the Asia-Pacific region. Comprising contributions from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, the collection addresses the diversity of learners in different national, cultural and teaching contexts. In doing so, it provides insights into historical and current trends in literature education, foregrounds specific issues and challenges in policymaking and implementation, presents practical matters concerning text selection, use of literature in the language classroom, innovative practices in literature education, and raises pressing and important questions about the nature, purpose and importance of literature education in global times.

chapter 1|13 pages

Globalizing literature education in the Asia-pacific

Remapping the boundaries

chapter 2|15 pages

Literature in subject English in Australia

Purpose, identity and mode

chapter 3|17 pages

Re-forming the nation

Curriculum, text selection, and Asian literature in subject English in Australia

chapter 5|13 pages

Changing the ‘Success Narrative’

English literature can help broaden Hong Kong students’ perceptions of education 1

chapter 6|13 pages

English literary studies in India

Between critical thinking and instrumental drives

chapter 11|14 pages

Teaching literature, teaching identity

Language pedagogy and building a nation through texts and textbooks

chapter 12|14 pages

Reclaiming Southeast Asia

Cultural engagements in the Philippine tertiary classroom

chapter 14|17 pages

The poetry of place, the place of poetry

The promise and perils of a place-based literary pedagogy in the Singapore literature classroom

chapter 16|14 pages

Globalizing literature education in Singapore

Reviewing developments and re-envisioning possibilities for the future