Ahmar Mahboob - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Books by Ahmar Mahboob
Subaltern Linguistics and Practice challenges the goals and theoretical foundations of colonial l... more Subaltern Linguistics and Practice challenges the goals and theoretical foundations of colonial linguistics, academia, and education and provides alternative approaches and practices. The goal of subaltern practice is to create economies, projects, and resources that can be made and used by community members and leaders to develop and promote community beneficial projects in their own language (or a language of their choice). In doing subaltern and CREDIBLE work, we need to develop a new array of tools and resources. This book provides a broad introduction for how this can be done along with examples of multiple CREDIBLE projects carried out by students and members of the broader community.
The textbook is divided into four sections. In Section 1, we establish the need for this work, introduce some concepts that the CREDIBLE approach draws on and explain what we mean by CREDIBLE projects. In Section 2, we share what can be done when we adopt a CREDIBLE approach, including several examples of student projects across a range of areas such as education, environment, healthcare and economic development. Section 3 provides detailed guidelines and instructions on how to develop CREDIBLE projects with worksheets and activities that can be used to conceptualise, plan, and develop CREDIBLE projects. Finally, section 4 includes three CREDIBLE project reports as examples of how this work can be written up for wider dissemination.
This text is an essential guide to a new way of doing linguistics, reflecting the diversity and richness of today’s world.
Ahmar’s volume brings together an inspiring collection of representative works that address criti... more Ahmar’s volume brings together an inspiring collection of representative works that address critical issues in both theory and practice within the areas of language variations in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Ahmar has dedicated close to 30 years to a successful career as an outstanding scholar and researcher.
This book is divided into three parts. Part One delves into critical issues surrounding non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) in the TESOL f ield, including the discriminations they face and, more importantly, the unique values, perspectives, and contributions that NNESTs bring to TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Ahmar powerfully demystifies the so-called “native speaker myth,” which should not define the ideology of TESOL and Applied Linguistics. He eloquently explores the concept, behaviors, and consequences of “enracement,” i.e., the act of making or causing somebody to become (very) raced, according to the author. Racial prejudices are not limited to interactions between members of a majority and a minority group; they can also occur between members of different minority groups. To combat such prejudices, we need to begin by critically examining our own “enraced” behaviors as TESOL professionals.
Part Two of the book focuses on the nature of language, language variation, and their implications for language teaching and education. Using the NNEST perspective, the author introduces the three dimensional (3D) framework (users, uses, and mode, see Chapter 11) and then presents chapters that critique and expand upon the work on World Englishes, Language Identity, and Curriculum Studies. The articles in this section challenge the monolingual biases in TESOL and SLA theories and practice, suggesting that a multilingual orientation in TESOL and Applied Linguistics would be more aligned with the mission and context of the TESOL profession.
The final part of the book, Part Three, brings together all the threads that the author has been working on over the years and weaves them into the form of a chapter that reminds readers that TESOL professionals can move beyond theoretical debates and engage in meaningful work that has a demonstrable impact on our learners, ourselves, and our
communities. This chapter intentionally includes poetry while eschewing references to make a powerful point about not conforming to typical academic norms. Nonetheless, it convincingly outlines an effective and inspiring path forward to empower our learners and ourselves as TESOL professionals. The author urges us to leave behind the promises marketed by exploitative education and instead retreat to evaluate our circumstances and consider new ways forward.
This powerful collection of articles successfully achieves the author’s intention: “to enable people from non-elite backgrounds to thrive in their personal and professional lives.” I have known Ahmar for many years, and every time I read his work, I f ind deep inspiration. I have no doubt that this remarkable volume will inspire and assist all TESOL professionals in embracing Ahmar’s vision: “strengthening your own work and doing things that empower you, your community, and the environment.” It is truly splendid! Simply splendid!
by Yilin Sun
Subaltern theory emerged as a small voice within academia decades ago. Over time, this work gener... more Subaltern theory emerged as a small voice within academia decades ago. Over time, this work generated significant debate and numerous publica
tions, talks, and conferences. However, little has changed in the experi
enced lives of the masses. This led people to wonder: “the subalterns seem to have a voice, but can they act?” Or, in other words, is there subaltern practice?
This collection of essays and poems, written with a broad audience in mind, hopes to demonstrate not just how the subaltern can identify and question hegemonic practices, but how they can create alternative frameworks and material that enable themselves and their communities. In doing so, this book aims to demonstrate not just how deep the colonial and colonising poisons run but also how to detoxify ourselves and the environment around us. Writings on Subaltern Practice is a call for action and a sharing of ideas that may enable us to regain balance and fulfil our human responsibilities.
Subaltern Practice: A practical guide questions both the goals and the theoretical foundations of... more Subaltern Practice: A practical guide questions both the goals and the theoretical foundations of colonial education as well as provides alternative practices and approaches. Therefore, in doing subaltern education, we need to develop a new array of tools and resources. This book provides a broad introduction to one way in which this can be done.
The authors and contributors to this volume all participated in a unit on Language, Society, and Power, which a core unit for the Masters in Crosscultural and Applied Linguistics, University of Sydney. Most of the material shared in this book was first developed for this unit and then expanded and modified to be of use and relevance to a broader readership.
This book is divided into three sections. In the first section, we will introduce some of the broad tools and resources that we developed to help our students achieve the goals of subaltern education. Then, in the second section, we will look at actual student projects and share how these were developed and carried out. Finally, in the third section, we will come back to the issue of use of literacy in education in more detail and share examples from another part of the world.
The purpose of this volume is to promote the examination of applied and theoretical frames of ref... more The purpose of this volume is to promote the examination of applied and theoretical frames of reference that operate in the GCC and to probe the relevant aspects of scale, proportion, and the grounding of education in the gulf region. The contributions to this volume discuss different elements of policy and curriculum, teachers and teacher identity, students and student identity, and social conditions that affect teaching and learning in the 21st century in GCC states. Based on the assumption that education must support students in realizing their fullest potential as well as supporting the economic and development needs of a country, the papers included in this volume investigate the conditions of education in the GCC countries.
This collection of 16 reflective accounts and data-driven studies explores the interrelationship ... more This collection of 16 reflective accounts and data-driven studies explores the interrelationship of religious identity and English Language Teaching (ELT). It addresses the ways in which faith and ELT intersect in the realms of teacher identity, pedagogy, and
the context and content of ELT.
Since its establishment as an independent discipline in the early twentieth century, linguistics ... more Since its establishment as an independent discipline in the early twentieth century, linguistics has undergone rapid development, as is witnessed by the great diversity of theories, methodologies, and practices in the area. This prosperity is, on the one hand, a blessing for all linguists considering the wealth of linguistic knowledge that we have gained, but on the other, it leads to the segmentation of the discipline that should be an organic entirety. According to the Legitimation Coding Theory of Karl Maton (2014: 106), segmentalism in intellectual fields arises with the accumulation of new ideas or approaches that fail to integrate existing knowledge, which is caused by the strong classification and framing values both inside and outside the field. As an intellectual field, linguistics at its current state of development is also characterized by segmentalism, as is shown by the strong boundaries between different schools and subfields, and by the strong framing of research methods and procedures adopted in each school and subfield. Each school has its own premises, aim, methodology, theory, and practices that clearly demarcates its field and prevents trespassers with different backgrounds. As a result, different subfields have their own realms that are often mutually incompatible, which renders it difficult, if not impossible, to integrate them into a coherent whole. Scholars from different backgrounds no longer sit together to communicate; and even if we want, we find it difficult to understand each other as we speak different “languages”. To facilitate further development of linguistics, we need to eliminate this segmentalism, cross the boundaries, and sit together to communicate with each other.
It is out of this belief that the Free Linguistics Conference (FLC) was initiated, which aims at providing a widely accessible forum for linguists in all areas of research to come together and share their diverse perspectives and findings. The 8th Annual International Free Linguistics Conference (The 8th FLC), held at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 26-27 September, 2014, is another significant step toward this aim. In this all-inclusive forum are congregated more than 180 scholars from more than 20 countries/regions. Presentations delivered cover a wide range of mainstream linguistics, including both theoretical linguistics (phonetics and phonology, lexicology, syntax, and semantics), and applied linguistics (such as sociolinguistics, educational linguistics, language teaching and acquisition, computational linguistics, translation studies, and discourse analysis), and involve more than ten languages such as English, German, Chinese, Tibetan, Arabic, Tagalog and Pashto. In one word, as trespassers of both geographical and intellectual borders, scholars with different intellectual backgrounds sit together, share their insights and discoveries, and make concerted efforts to further our studies of languages.
This book, Multiperspective Studies of Language: Theory and Application, is the fruition of the concerted efforts of the scholars presenting at the 8th FLC. It consists includes 20 selected papers that are organized into four parts according to the subfields they belong to: theoretical linguistics, educational linguistics, social linguistics, translation studies and computational linguistics. All papers included in this volume were selected after going through a double-blind peer-review process.
This book describes the linguistic and pedagogical dimensions of a large action research project ... more This book describes the linguistic and pedagogical dimensions of a large action research project that deployed and extended the current work on genre pedagogy to an on-line learning environment. In particular, it explores how genre-based pedagogy can be used to support the academic literacy development of non-English speaking background (NESB) students in tertiary educational institutions to develop their academic literacy practice. The book reports on work with the Department of Chinese, Translation & Linguistics (CTL) and the Department of Biology and Chemistry (BCH) in a 2-year project called the SLATE (Scaffolding Literacy in Academic and Tertiary Environments) project. It includes theoretically and practically-oriented material that can serve the needs of researchers and practitioners engaged with the literacy development of tertiary students in both English-speaking and non-English speaking countries.
This edited collection examines how people use a range of different modalities to negotiate, infl... more This edited collection examines how people use a range of different modalities to negotiate, influence, and/or project their own or other people's identities. It brings together linguistic scholars concerned with issues of identity through a study of language use in various types of written texts, conversation, performance, and interviews.
The English language has always existed alongside other languages. However, the last 200 years ha... more The English language has always existed alongside other languages. However, the last 200 years have shown a dramatic increase in the range, extent and context of contact between English and other languages. As a result of this contact, we find marked variations in Englishes around the world. Englishes in Multilingual Contexts: Language Variation and Education explores how these variations relate to issues in English language teaching and learning. The first part of this book includes chapters of importance in studying English language variation in the context of education. The second part builds on an understanding of variation and identifies pedagogical possibilities that respect language variation and yet empower English language learners in diverse contexts. Together, the chapters in this volume allow readers to develop a broad understanding around issues of language variation and to recognise pedagogical implications of this work in multilingual contexts.
This collection of research offers an initial step in the pursuit of an appliable linguistics. Ap... more This collection of research offers an initial step in the pursuit of an appliable linguistics. Appliable Linguistics takes everyday real-life language-related problems – both theoretical and practical – in diverse social, professional and academic contexts as its starting point. It then uses and contributes to a theoretical model of language that can respond to and is appliable in the context. The concept of appliable linguistics used in this volume is informed by the work of M.A.K. Halliday, who believes that "the value of a theory lies in the use that can be made of it." The chapters in this volume thus use and contribute to an appliable linguistics that engages with a range of issues including: translation, education, language teaching/learning, multimodality, media, social policy and action, and positive discourse analysis. This collection of research is offered as an initial step in the pursuit of Appliable Linguistics, which we hope will serve as a foundation for future work across the discipline.
The NNEST Lens invites you to imagine how the field of TESOL and applied linguistics can develop ... more The NNEST Lens invites you to imagine how the field of TESOL and applied linguistics can develop if we use the multilingual, multicultural, and multinational perspectives of a NNEST (Non Native English Speakers in TESOL) lens to re-examine our assumptions, practices, and theories in the field. The NNEST lens as described in and developed through this volume is a lens of multilingualism, multinationalism, and multiculturalism through which NNESTs and NESTs—as classroom practitioners, researchers, and teacher educators—take diversity as a starting point in their understanding and practice of their profession. The 16 original contributions to this volume include chapters that question theoretical frameworks and research approaches used in studies in applied linguistics and TESOL, as well as chapters that share strategies and approaches to classroom teaching, teacher education, and education management and policy. As such, this volume will be of interest to a wide range of students, practitioners, researchers, and academics in the fields of education and linguistics.
Studies in Applied Linguistics and Language Learning brings together new and original studies in ... more Studies in Applied Linguistics and Language Learning brings together new and original studies in the area of critical applied linguistics, language policy and planning, and language learning and teaching. The book, divided into three sections, first offers critical views on various aspects of language in society, ranging from the construction of national identity, language and justice, racial and identity issues in the ELT industry, to language in business discourse. It then reports on language policy in the school curriculum, language learning in tertiary education, and Aboriginal languages policy. In the third section, it addresses issues in language learning and teaching, such as the role of parents in literacy learning, multiple script literacy, and language learning and maintenance strategies.
QUESTIONING LINGUISTICS brings together different perspectives on language studies and applicatio... more QUESTIONING LINGUISTICS brings together different perspectives on language studies and applications into a single volume and allows readers to examine how linguists of diverse traditions study and use this expert knowledge of language. By doing so, this volume invites us to reconsider the nature and focus of the field of study and questions a number of current thoughts about language theory, application, and use. In effect, the nature of linguistics, linguistic theory, and languages are called into question, as are the methods that we as linguists may take for granted in our developed research traditions.
Subaltern Linguistics by Ahmar Mahboob
Subaltern Linguistics: A Toolkit for Alternative Education and Practice, 2025
In Chapter 8, we explicitly step through the four stages of creating a CREDIBLE project: conceptu... more In Chapter 8, we explicitly step through the four stages of creating a CREDIBLE project: conceptualisation, data analysis, material design, and action and continuity. This is done by using ‘The Ribbit-Ribbit Pond’ picture book, designed by a former student of the Master of Applied Linguistics program from The University of Sydney, as a model. Each stage is broken down with detailed examples from the model text, highlighting key components of each CREDIBLE stage and demonstrating the processes involved.
ICONISH
A CREDIBLE project starts with identifying a real-world issue or problem that the project develop... more A CREDIBLE project starts with identifying a real-world issue or problem that the project developers and collaborators want to address by designing and producing contextually relevant material and resources. As such, it responds to and is driven by practical needs rather than theoretical questions. To do this work, the project team collaborates with and includes other stakeholders, whoever they might be. By doing so, CREDIBLE projects avoid exploiting people for data that serves only academics and their interests. To engage with stakeholders, it is essential that we are sensitive to local ways of being and doing. At the same time, to develop the project, we also need to look at examples of similar or relevant work in other parts of the world. By developing material and resources to address a community need, we can benefit the community. And, when this work is done ethically, it becomes a model for others and moves the field forward.
In this paper, we will briefly introduce what CREDIBLE project are why we need them before outlining how we create them. We introduce the four broad stages of developing a CREDIBLE project, each with multiple aspects and dimensions. These stages include: Conceptualisation, Data Analysis, Material Development, and Action & Continuity. Once a project has been implemented, we can share it through writing and/or oral presentations. The paper shares the outline of a CREDIBLE project report and highlights how it is drafted in a way that both shares what was done and provides suggestions to readers on how they can create their own CREDIBLE projects.
The Diamond Jug Prof Nomad Part 1 Imagine that there is a jug made of diamonds And full o... more The Diamond Jug
Prof Nomad
Part 1
Imagine that there is a jug made of diamonds
And full of life-giving fluids sitting on a table.
Now, imagine that someone comes along
And says: This jug and everything in it is mine.
The owners of the jug reject this claim.
A long battle ensues.
Finally, the thieves leave.
But, instead of the precious jug
They leave behind a number of glasses
Of different shapes, colours, and sizes.
Each filled with toxic looking
And foul-smelling contents.
What can the owners of the jug do now?
The past is lost: only threats abound.
I first developed the metaphor of the diamond jug for an online talk on Language as Inheritance for Bukidnon State University in Mindanao in March 2021. In this talk, I talked about a precious jug that has been replaced by glasses full of poison. I used the metaphor to explicitly talk about European colonisation and its ongoing impacts by focussing on descriptive and naming practices in language studies.
When the Europeans invaded and conquered lands around the world, these lands were often inhabited by people with their own way of being, doing, and knowing, which were reflected in their diverse boli (oral and gestural language systems). They had complex social and inter-group relationships, which had sustained them and their environments for unknown generations. People were not divided into countries nor were nuclear families a norm for social organisation.
When the Europeans left the direct control of these lands, they left behind divided and, often, conflicting states/countries/territories. It also needs to be noticed, the European conquerors have still not vacated all their captured territories and peoples. The United States of America (which should, in fact, be called the United Settlements of America), Canada, Australia, New Zealand are amongst the better-known examples of continuing European settlements, but many more exist across South America and other parts of the world.
In pre-European colonisations, heterogeneous, dynamic, and environmentally harmonised communities of humans co-evolved with their environments and geography. This differentiation of their understandings of the world is embedded in their boli.
It is noteworthy that many Indigenous languages did not have terms or concepts for things such as land ownership, religion, race, culture, numbers, literacy. These and other coloniality-enabling concepts were first introduced (through translation, borrowing, or word smithing) and normalised in the colonies; today, they are maintained through a web of systems, networks, and institutions, including education, economics, international law, law, police, and military.
These ongoing colonial forces encourage further and continuing divisions among group of peoples pretty much across the whole world. These divisions, in many contexts, lead to conflicts, which, at times, can turn violent and devastating for humans, non-human life, and the environment.
After the talk at Bukidnon State University, I developed the metaphor into Part 1 of The Diamond Jug, shared above. After writing Part 1, I realised that in addition to pointing out problems and issues, I need to share potential ways out of the mess that many of us find ourselves in. I then wrote parts 2-4 of the poem. Part 2 of the poem describes the current situation where the world is divided and devastated by conflicts, exploitation, and oppression – of both living and non-living beings. Parts 3 and 4 of the poem then focus on solutions and possible ways forward.
To read the rest of the essay/poem, please visit: https://wemountains.com/06/29/1958/
I wrote this poem when I accepted who I had become over time: a Poster Boy. Playing the game of ... more I wrote this poem when I accepted who I had become over time: a Poster Boy.
Playing the game of the colonizers, I had learned to climb up the ladder of “success”, as defined by the colonials and internalized by us.
This ladder being one that many of us learn to climb from childhood. “Success” is: to learn English (at the cost of mother tongue and other local languages), study in English medium schools, go abroad (preferably to the US or another western country), get a job abroad (preferably in a western country), and make money by working for our colonizers.
Oxford Bibliographies in Linguistics, 2023
Positive Discourse Analysis (henceforth PDA) falls under the broader umbrella of discourse analys... more Positive Discourse Analysis (henceforth PDA) falls under the broader umbrella of discourse analysis and privileges discourses that promote empowerment and social change. PDA is often viewed as a complementary approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (henceforth CDA) which aims to expose hegemonic discourses and discourses of disempowerment. While CDA has been useful in bringing to light discriminatory discourse practices, it has been less reliable at providing the means to change such hegemonic practices. PDA on the other hand, not only promotes positive discourse, it also advocates for design and interventions that empowers people and brings about social change. Since being first coined in 2002, PDA has been employed in many linguistic sub-fields including media discourse, ecolinguistics and educational linguistics. And more recently, PDA has been developed as a tool for community members to use to address issues in their local communities. The major theory underpinning PDA is Systemic Functional Linguistics (henceforth SFL). SFL provides a functional theory of how language is used in social context and models language according to its three general social functions: to represent experience, to enact social relationships and to organize these experiences and social relationships. But first and foremost, SFL is concerned with redressing inequality. For this reason, SFL frameworks are often used in PDA studies, in texts analyses and in designing materials and interventions. This bibliography explores some of the main linguistics sub-fields where Positive Discourse Analysis has taken ground over the past two decades. However, there are plenty of studies that would be considered PDA prior to its coinage as a methodological approach. Therefore, this bibliography presents a variety of studies that either explicitly use PDA as a methodological approach or others that have not necessarily employed the term PDA, but would nevertheless be considered PDA since they advocate for positive discourses, social change and empowerment.