A critical examination of race in Business English coursebooks

Abstract

This thesis examines ways in which uses of images and words contribute towards constructions of race in published Business English language coursebooks, by exploring coursebook writers’ perspectives on compiling their Business English coursebooks and analysing Business English coursebook materials. The study drew on critical race theory, critical discourse analysis, and systemic functional linguistics to investigate relations between the ways coursebook writers construct race in selecting and organising materials for their Business English coursebooks and the ways race is constructed in Business English coursebooks. The data included seven published Business English coursebooks and interviews with writers of four of the coursebooks. The coursebooks were Global links 2 (Blackwell, 2001), Market leader intermediate (Cotton, Falvey, & Kent, 2005), Quick work pre-intermediate (Hollett, 2000), New international business English (Jones & Alexander, 2003), In company intermediate (Powell, 2002), First insights into business (Robbins, 2000), and International express pre-intermediate (Taylor, 2004). I argue that constructions of race in the coursebooks connect three notions: international business people, corporate ethics and responsibilities, and intercultural business communication. Patterns in the location and composition of the language learning materials, and expressions of opinions and emotions in illustrative extracts from the materials were found to contribute to these constructs.