Identity, Agency and the Acquisition of Professional Language and Culture

This is a most interesting book, which addresses an important issue for societies that embrace immigration. It is beautifully written, and the clear logical presentation of information makes it a pleasure to read. The work rests on a solid data collection with large sample sizes, in depth interviews, and longitudinal case studies. In this book, Ping Deters brings together literature from different academic traditions, (psychoanalysis, sociology, cultural theory, narrative) and carefully explores the ways in which one tradition can illuminate another. The blending of insights from sociocultural theory with the community of practice literature allows for a richer understanding of the ways in which identity is socially constructed. Deters achieves some real insights into the complex and dynamic relationships between individuals and the societies they join. Her discussions of the socially constructed nature of agency and identity are rich and thoughtful and they help to illuminate our understanding of this complex topic. -- Professor Jill Bell, York University, Toronto, Canada
This pathbreaking study opens up a world of insight into the struggles and dilemmas of contemporary professionals, as they seek to make a contribution to the societies they have embraced as new immigrants. Deters enables her readers to enter into the inner world of identity, language and culture as well as the outer world of active agency in face of difficult barriers, through vivid narratives that portray the professional lives and achievements of five immigrant teachers working at different levels and in different subject areas in Ontario, Canada. -- Ruth Hayhoe, Professor, University of Toronto, Canada and President emerita, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
The quality of the extensive sets of data presented is one of the book’s biggest strengths. It is through them that Deters is able to explore the socially constructed nature of agency and identity as well as the complexity of the relationships established between groups and individuals ... Focusing on adult immigrants and providing readers with a better understanding of the affordances and constraints of professional acculturation, Deters’ pioneering study fills a gap in the SLA literature. -- Próspero N García, Rutgers University, USA * The Linguist *