Introduction

A growing concern for globalization and its capitalist bent, a right-wing populism and a neo-nationalist protectionist approach to borders have inspired many social scientists to turn to transnationalism as an analytical tool. Although scholars have investigated transnational practices since the 1980s, transnationalism as a research paradigm first gained ground and popularity in the field of anthropology back in the early 1990s. Transnational activities and their durability, in one way or another, have been examined through “their degree of institutionalization” as L. Mugge and other scholars noted. As a profession and as a multidisciplinary field of scholarly study, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages is fundamentally concerned with various aspects of English language education, including pre-service teacher education and in-service teachers’ professional learning and development. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.