“Being a native is not enough if you are not White”: The identity construction trajectory of an African American English language teacher at a Saudi university

Abstract

Increasing research has recently been devoted to issues of racism within TESOL; however, most studies have been directed towards the unearned privilege of teachers labelled as ‘native English-speaking teachers’ (‘NESTs’) and the unjust marginalization of those perceived as ‘non-native English-speaking teachers’ (‘NNESTs’). This focusing on the former as the exclusive beneficiaries and the latter as the sole victims of racial discrimination has led to overlooking a large portion of language teachers whose professional experiences fit neither group. Approached through the lenses of communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) and critical race theory, and guided by a narrative inquiry approach, this qualitative study tackles this gap by investigating the professional identity construction trajectory of an African American English language teacher working in a dominated by the native speakerism ideology Saudi university. Relying on in-depth interviews as the main data source, the findings revealed that the participant’s trajectory and forms of (non)participation were profoundly, yet detrimentally, shaped by his non-Whiteness. The study concludes with implications for research, practice, and policy.