Neoliberalism and Pakistani English teachers’ identities: English teachers serve as neoliberal agents and victims

2025

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DOI 10.1080/14767724.2025.2497032
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Globalisation and neoliberalism have a major impact on the educational landscape around the world. English, according to neoliberal rhetoric, is an instrument for capital accumulation, expansion and development. The shift towards English as a capital has profoundly transformed education into a tool of economic gain. Instructors are accountable for training people to speak English effectively. This study explores how neoliberal ideologies shape English instructors’ identities and responses to the changing educational context. Using qualitative tools, such as interviews and classroom observations, data are collected from 20 English instructors teaching in universities located in Islamabad. Complying with phenomenology, guided by (Charmaz, K. [2014. Constructing Grounded Theory. 2nd ed. Sage.]) constructivist grounded theory analysis, the study finds that English instructors in Pakistan are significantly impacted by neoliberal ideals. They are conditioned to modify their pedagogies on par with neoliberal trends to maintain their position in the system. This results in a paradoxical condition where they concurrently become the victim of it and agents perpetuating neoliberalism through their classroom practices. The results imply that English teachers should assess money-oriented educational approaches critically.