Summary
Dudley Reynolds, senior associate dean for education and a teaching professor of English, has co-edited a new book titled Multilingual TESOL, published by Springer Nature. The volume challenges the traditional narrative of "English as power," advocating instead for multilingualism as a tool for social justice and empowerment.
Doha, Qatar – A new book co-edited by Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) senior associate dean for education, Dudley Reynolds, challenges the traditional power dynamics of English language teaching, arguing for a shift from “English as power” to “multilingualism as empowerment.”
The book, titled Multilingual TESOL: De-constructing and Re-constructing Power ‘in’, ‘of’, and ‘for’ Language Classrooms, was published this month by Springer Nature. It is the third volume in an ongoing collaboration, which included Kashif Raza and Christine Coombe for the first two volumes, and Raza and Özgehan Uştuk for this book.
While the previous two books in the series focused on policy and classroom practice, this latest volume tackles the complex issue of social justice. Reynolds, a teaching professor of English and former president of TESOL International Association, explains that the book aims to disrupt the historical narrative that English is the sole pathway to success.
“Historically, the message of colonialism was, ‘Learn English because it gives you power,'” said Reynolds. “What we are trying to do is disrupt that message. We want to show that languages other than English are not lesser—they are valuable learning tools. When you bring multilingualism into a classroom, it disrupts that default message and gives students new pathways to contribute.”
Walking the Talk
In a unique move to reflect the book’s mission, the editors asked contributors to “walk the talk” by writing the key concepts of their chapters in their native or heritage languages.
“One of our contributors noted that if we are serious about using multilingualism to signal power, we should encourage authors to use languages other than English,” Reynolds said.
The result is a collection that visually and linguistically represents the diversity of its authors. The book features key concepts written in languages that include Jamaican Creole, Hindi, Turkish, and Australian Aboriginal English.
“It turns out that every chapter we selected was written by a multilingual author from somewhere in the world,” Reynolds added. “It is a powerful visual reminder of what we are trying to communicate: that expertise exists in many languages.”
From Policy to Power
This publication marks the latest step in a multi-year scholarly journey. The first book in the series, Policy Development in TESOL and Multilingualism (2021), focused on convincing policymakers to embrace local languages in English classrooms. The second, Handbook of Multilingual TESOL in Practice (2023), offered practical strategies for teachers.
This third volume moves the conversation toward the societal impact of the classroom.
“This book is about extending the power of the classroom outside,” said Reynolds. “It’s about changing how people think about the languages in their community. You can use the power of multilingualism to achieve things that make life better for everybody.”
Bringing the research to the classroom
The themes of the book are directly influencing Reynolds’ teaching at CMU-Q. In the upcoming spring semester, he will teach a course titled “Language Diversity and Cultural Identity,” which invites students to analyze the linguistic landscape of Doha to understand how language shapes identity and place.
“We have a folk understanding that the brain only has so much room, and if you fill it with one language, there is no room for another,” Reynolds said. “That is simply not how it works. It is not a zero-sum game. When you make connections between languages, you understand all of them more deeply.”
