Educating for global citizenship in post-colonial Algeria: neoliberal ideologies, inequality, and alienation

This study uses English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education as a lens to gain deeper insights into the goal of teaching for global citizenship and its possibilities in the Algerian context. It takes an in-depth look at the journey and pedagogical practices of EFL teachers by placing the discussion within the broader discourse on neoliberal education reforms and the post-colonial educational model. Guided by a qualitative case study research design, the study rests on data collected from individual semi-structured interviews conducted with twelve Algerian EFL teachers from diverse backgrounds to explore their overall EFL teaching experiences. Based on Seidman’s Citation2019. Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences. New York: Columbia University three interview series model, each research participant responded to a three-part interview protocol composed of 34 questions and structured as follows: (1) EFL teachers’ focused life history, (2) details about their EFL teaching experience, and (3) teachers’ reflections on the intersection of EFL and global citizenship. The research findings reveal different obstacles grouped into institutional, pedagogical, economic, linguistic and cultural factors which negatively impact the experiences of teachers indicating a state of alienation and inequality among learners. These findings suggest moving beyond colonial educational frameworks towards embracing local knowledge systems for a more sustainable future.