Exploring Language Learners’ Identity Development in Intercultural Contexts: Current Landscape and Ways Forward

The “social turn” in second language acquisition brings into focus the concept of identity that captures the relationship between the language learner and the social world (Norton, 2000, 2013). This paper presents an overview of the issues related to identity development of language learners in study abroad and online intercultural contexts. It discusses recent findings, affordances, and challenges in researching identities in the two dynamically constructed intercultural contexts. The methodological approaches to the investigation of identity in these contexts were also summarized to reflect on the current scope and analytical lens. This paper concludes with a discussion of challenges and future directions in the studies of identity with regard to intercultural communication and language learning in a globalized and complex world.