A ‘Gift’ of Neoliberalism: English as the Language of Instruction in the GCC

Abstract

Barnawi’s Neoliberalism and English Language Education Policies in the Arabian Gulf (2018) addresses language of instruction policies in the six Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, U.A.E., Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Barnawi takes the reader through a comparison of national language policies throughout the Gulf. He presents the neoliberal Western ideological roots of these policies and the resulting clash with traditional Islamic worldviews. Further pointing out that Gulf countries seek to transform their economies from oil-based to knowledge-based economies and in doing so, English language skills have become commodified and serve as a means to guaranteed economic prosperity.  However, Barnawi does not offer an alternative vision to English medium instruction (EMI) for the reader to consider. Moreover, Barnawi has not successfully argued that the adoption of English language will by default lead to the adoption of Western cultural norms.  Missing from the analysis is an alternative framework that advocates for a culturally relevant education policy which addresses the needs of a citizenry who must be both globally competent and culturally grounded.