Intersectionality for TESOL Education: Connecting Theory and Justice Pedagogy

This paper focuses on the concept of intersectionality, which has been used to account for multiple forms of identity and inequality. It argues that intersectionality is a powerful theoretical lens that could be used in analyzing language teachers’ identities and their various contexts. It is also deeply connected to an orientation and understanding of justice. One significant connection that still needs to be explored in TESOL education is how intersectionality and social justice interact. Thus, the paper examines what specific professional practices educators can develop to support the critical awareness of language teachers in training. It concludes that one of the most important tasks for language teacher educators is to help current and future practitioners not only to understand the theory behind intersectional pedagogy, but to generate their own relevant, critical questions about forms of social and educational injustice in schools and other institutional contexts.