Taboo Topics in the ESL/EFL Classroom in the Gulf Region

Abstract

Many English teachers, having little knowledge in the area of Islam, arrive from around the world to teach in the rich oil and gas region of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with its burgeoning youthful population and intense K-12 educational reform. Critical pedagogy, a relatively new trend in teaching methodologies in the Arab world, focuses on praxis that relates classroom content (micro level) to real life issues (macro level).Yet, many current event topics, such as the Arab Spring and AIDS, and other subjects that are prohibited in Islam, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork, are considered inappropriate for the classroom. This chapter examines taboo topics in Gulf Arab Muslim teaching contexts. Some recommendations for what is appropriate and what is not appropriate to discuss and teach about in Gulf Arab Muslim ESL/EFL classrooms are made. Educators are encouraged to teach using critical pedagogy, but discouraged from teaching target-language cultural values that may conflict with students’ values, because this could impede language development by creating cognitive dissonance. The purpose of this chapter is to inform teachers new to the region or teachers thinking of entering employment in the region about topics that may be considered inappropriate for classroom language teaching in the GCC countries.

Conclusion

This chapter was written for teachers new to the Gulf Muslim Arab classroom or ESL/EFL teachers who are thinking of coming to teach in the Gulf. There are many topics considered taboo in the classroom such as drugs , alcohol, sex, religion, and death. In Muslim Gulf Arab classrooms other topics such as boyfriends/girlfriends , nudity, dating, and superstitions may also be considered taboo because of both their religion and culture, which tend to be conservative and traditional. Bringing such topics into the classroom may cause the students to feel uncomfortable and this may affect their learning of English. Teachers should be aware of their students’ cultures and the topics that are considered taboo in their culture so that they can bring critical pedagogy topics into their classrooms without offending the sensibilities of their learners. This will result in positive IC both on the side of the teachers who will learn about their students’ culture and on the side of the students who will not feel that their culture is being overwhelmed by the onslaught of Western values and culture.