ELT: A Trojan Horse in Disguise?

Abstract

Many people believe that language teaching is a neutral practice. However, this belief is not without its own opponents. To many scholars, teaching languages cannot be devoid of teaching cultural values of the target language, which tacitly aims at denigrating cultural values of the community of the learners who are learning it. The ultimate purpose of such cultural oppression, according to these scholars, is to provide the owners of the target language with a means to establish their supremacy and maintain a hegemonic control over other cultures. This article tries to present the arguments that scholars provide against the common belief that holds ELT as a neutral and unbiased profession. The article also tries to provide practical guidelines for ELT practitioners to help them uncover the hidden tenets that govern the ELT profession in today's world.