Pau Bori
Pau Bori holds a Ph.D. in linguistic communication and multilingual mediation from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. He is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Pompeu Fabra University. His main areas of interest and research are language education, critical pedagogy, textbook analysis and translation.
Address: Serbia
Address: Serbia
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Papers by Pau Bori
Paraules clau: capitalisme acadèmic, universitat pública de Catalunya, llocs web, neoliberalisme, emprenedoria, anàlisi crítica del discurs.
Academic capitalism is about how progressively more academic activity is valued according to its capacity to accumulate human, financial and corporate capital. It is on the increase in Higher Education (HE) worldwide and in this article we examine its implantation in Catalan universities. We begin with an exploration of the bigger picture, focussing on the impacts of neoliberalism on HE worldwide, leading to the arrival of the ‘toxic university,’ as part of the rise of academic capitalism. We then provide a critical account of these transformations in European universities. Against this backdrop, we examine the webpages of state-run universities in Catalonia, highlighting their relationships with the business sector. Our key finding is that academic capitalism is alive and well in the construction of a certain worldview within these universities, according to which knowledge is only valid if it is marketable, researchers are entrepreneurs and HE and research are at the service of global capitalism and neoliberal rationalities. We conclude with comments on possible remedies in the current situation, arguing that any measures taken on a local level are not likely to be transformative if nothing is done to change how the global economy functions.________________________________________________________________________
In the past decades, neoliberalism has permeated (foreign) language education, as has been discussed by critical research in the fields of: curriculum theory, applied linguistics, discourse analysis, language policy, language assessment, to name a few. Despite the fact that research on foreign language education and neoliberalism is certainly growing, less attention has been paid to actual “ways out” or alternatives to neoliberal foreign language education. This introductory paper delineates the domain and scope of the present Special Issue entitled “Alternatives to Neoliberal Foreign Language Education.” The paper critically discusses three discourses/processes that are key to understanding the effects of neoliberalism in language education worldwide: language as skill, standardization and profit, and devaluing education. Then, it moves to briefly introduce each of the four remaining papers, which critically discuss alternatives to neoliberal foreign language education in different countries. The full issue hopes to contribute to critical research in the field of foreign language education and neoliberalism but, more importantly, to the search for feasible alternatives that help us move from negative critique of the current situation of foreign language education to actual praxis with a view to transforming it.
Palabras claves: enseñanza de lenguas; catalán como lengua extranjera; estudios catalanes;catalanística; InstitutRamonLlull
ABSTRACT
This paper critically examines Catalan language textbooks for non-Catalan adult speakers over the last four decades from a perspective that puts political economy and neoliberalism at the center of the research. Specifically, we analyze the work-related content in textbooks from two different moments in the history of teaching Catalan as a second language — the 1980s and the present time. Findings indicate a great shift in representations of the world of work. In the 1980s, textbooks feature a working-class perspective that emphasizes collective labor problems. Work is seen as burdensome and unsatisfactory, rooted in antagonistic relations of labor exploitation. By contrast, current language textbooks prioritize an individualist view of work, disconnected from any labor collective conflict or structural inequality. Neoliberal practices such as entrepreneurship, flexibility and self-responsibility appear in a positive way without mentioning their negative aspects or limitations. All in all, textbooks situate students within a new work order highly idealized, full of opportunities for their personal and professional satisfaction. The findings of this paper may contribute to making language teachers aware of the neoliberal content of many current language teaching materials. Furthermore, the paper also highlights the need to introduce questions of political economy and references to neoliberalism in critical applied and sociolinguistics research.
Paraules clau: capitalisme acadèmic, universitat pública de Catalunya, llocs web, neoliberalisme, emprenedoria, anàlisi crítica del discurs.
Academic capitalism is about how progressively more academic activity is valued according to its capacity to accumulate human, financial and corporate capital. It is on the increase in Higher Education (HE) worldwide and in this article we examine its implantation in Catalan universities. We begin with an exploration of the bigger picture, focussing on the impacts of neoliberalism on HE worldwide, leading to the arrival of the ‘toxic university,’ as part of the rise of academic capitalism. We then provide a critical account of these transformations in European universities. Against this backdrop, we examine the webpages of state-run universities in Catalonia, highlighting their relationships with the business sector. Our key finding is that academic capitalism is alive and well in the construction of a certain worldview within these universities, according to which knowledge is only valid if it is marketable, researchers are entrepreneurs and HE and research are at the service of global capitalism and neoliberal rationalities. We conclude with comments on possible remedies in the current situation, arguing that any measures taken on a local level are not likely to be transformative if nothing is done to change how the global economy functions.________________________________________________________________________
In the past decades, neoliberalism has permeated (foreign) language education, as has been discussed by critical research in the fields of: curriculum theory, applied linguistics, discourse analysis, language policy, language assessment, to name a few. Despite the fact that research on foreign language education and neoliberalism is certainly growing, less attention has been paid to actual “ways out” or alternatives to neoliberal foreign language education. This introductory paper delineates the domain and scope of the present Special Issue entitled “Alternatives to Neoliberal Foreign Language Education.” The paper critically discusses three discourses/processes that are key to understanding the effects of neoliberalism in language education worldwide: language as skill, standardization and profit, and devaluing education. Then, it moves to briefly introduce each of the four remaining papers, which critically discuss alternatives to neoliberal foreign language education in different countries. The full issue hopes to contribute to critical research in the field of foreign language education and neoliberalism but, more importantly, to the search for feasible alternatives that help us move from negative critique of the current situation of foreign language education to actual praxis with a view to transforming it.
Palabras claves: enseñanza de lenguas; catalán como lengua extranjera; estudios catalanes;catalanística; InstitutRamonLlull
ABSTRACT
This paper critically examines Catalan language textbooks for non-Catalan adult speakers over the last four decades from a perspective that puts political economy and neoliberalism at the center of the research. Specifically, we analyze the work-related content in textbooks from two different moments in the history of teaching Catalan as a second language — the 1980s and the present time. Findings indicate a great shift in representations of the world of work. In the 1980s, textbooks feature a working-class perspective that emphasizes collective labor problems. Work is seen as burdensome and unsatisfactory, rooted in antagonistic relations of labor exploitation. By contrast, current language textbooks prioritize an individualist view of work, disconnected from any labor collective conflict or structural inequality. Neoliberal practices such as entrepreneurship, flexibility and self-responsibility appear in a positive way without mentioning their negative aspects or limitations. All in all, textbooks situate students within a new work order highly idealized, full of opportunities for their personal and professional satisfaction. The findings of this paper may contribute to making language teachers aware of the neoliberal content of many current language teaching materials. Furthermore, the paper also highlights the need to introduce questions of political economy and references to neoliberalism in critical applied and sociolinguistics research.