In Pursuit of English

Language and Subjectivity in Neoliberal South Korea

Joseph Sung-Yul Park author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:22nd Oct '21

Should be back in stock very soon

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In Pursuit of English cover

In Pursuit of English traces how the English language became an object of heated pursuit amid South Korea's rapid neoliberalization, creating the so-called "English fever" of the 1990s and 2000s. Joseph Sung-Yul Park demonstrates that English gained prominence not because of the language's supposed economic value, but because of the anxieties, insecurities, and moral desire instilled by neoliberal Korean society. Park shows how English came to be seen as an index of an ideal neoliberal subject who willingly engages in constant self-management and self-development in response to the changing conditions of the global economy. Bringing together ethnographically-oriented perspectives on subjectivity, critical analysis of conditions of contemporary capitalism, theories of neoliberal governmentality, and sociolinguistic and linguistic anthropological frameworks of metapragmatic analysis, In Pursuit of English develops an innovative new direction for research at the intersection language and political economy, challenging researchers to consider subjectivity as the key for understanding the place of language in neoliberalism.

this is an accessible book that will make an excellent companion to any graduate course that seeks to encourage critical, political perspectives on English in the world * Katy Highet, Language in Society *
In this elegantly written book, Joseph Park uses the telling case of South Korea to explore how and why English currently presents such a powerful object of investment and desire, both at the level of states, and, perhaps most importantly, for individuals. His exploration of the formation and expression of the neoliberal subjectivity in terms of which orientation to English is cast shows powerfully how productive the lens of affect is for understanding the link between material conditions, institutional processes, the value of languages and the agency of social actors."-Monica Heller, University of Toronto

ISBN: 9780190855741

Dimensions: 155mm x 233mm x 13mm

Weight: 304g

200 pages