Transformative Potentials of Drama in Language Education in the Globalized Contexts

Abstract

For almost a decade, there witnesses a growing field of applied drama/theatre education and second language learning research and practices at various educational levels and contexts worldwide (Stinson & Winston, 2011; Winston, 2012; Piazzoli, 2018). For Asia, forces of globalization have complicated the issues of languages, power and identity as people are fighting with a double-edged sword - embracing the cultural and economic influences while fighting to define or re-define one's identity collectively or as individuals. Concerned applied drama practitioners/scholars, and language educators alike, have inevitably come upon such struggles for power and identity in defence of the democratic space in education. The needs for understanding, examining and theorizing the relations between drama and languages, be that of the learners' native language or second/foreign language, have become more urgent and imperative than ever before.