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The problem of ‘choice’ and the construction of the demand for English in Cambodia

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Abstract

This paper uses Cambodia as a case study to problematise the notion of choice in the spread of English. I explore specific historical contexts which were central to the construction of the demand for English and English language teaching (ELT) in Cambodia. The actions of a range of external agencies resulted in the close discursive articulation of English with Cambodia’s ‘reconstruction and development’ which was constructed along broadly neo-liberal lines. Alternative models of development were not considered, thus language alternatives were similarly ignored. One language alternative, a programme of mass literacy, was largely ignored, leaving the majority of Cambodians functionally illiterate. I conclude by arguing that the use of ‘choice’ in language choice theories as a form of agency often masks the fact that choice is a marker of socio-economic and political privilege.

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Abbreviations

AIDA:

Australian International Development Aid Bureau

ASEAN:

Association of South East Asian Nations

CAMSET:

Cambodian Secondary English Teaching project

CELT:

Cambodian English Language Training project

DfID:

Department for International Development (UK)

KPNLF:

Khmer People’s National Liberation Front

MoEYS:

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

NGO:

Non-governmental organisation

QSA:

Quaker Service Australia

UNDP:

United Nations Development Program

UNESCO:

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

UNHCR:

United Nations High Commission for Refugees

UNICEF:

United Nations International Children’s Fund

UNTAC:

United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Economic and Social Research Council, which provided the funding for the research project behind this article. I would also like to thank the positive and helpful comments of my anonymous reviewers and to Rachel Pugh for her support.

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  1. Division of Public Health, School of Population, Community and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Quadrangle, Liverpool, L69 3GB, UK

    Stephen Clayton

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Correspondence to Stephen Clayton.

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Clayton, S. The problem of ‘choice’ and the construction of the demand for English in Cambodia. Lang Policy 7, 143–164 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-008-9084-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-008-9084-9

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