ABSTRACT
This chapter revisits discussions on language learning/teaching and intercultural communication by examining a context where the target language is part of a conflicted heritage and is associated with discourses of animosity and narratives of displacement. Specifically, it focuses on Turkish-language classes in Greek-Cypriot education, taking into serious consideration the history of violent conflict between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities that has left the island de facto divided. Drawing on two linguistic ethnographic studies (2005–09; 2012–15) it analyses observations and recordings of Turkish language lessons, and shows the power of the conflict and identity discourses and their impact on language teaching and classroom interaction. Drawing on the example from Cyprus, near the end, the chapter highlights challenges to established theories of language and culture teaching presented by contexts of conflict and conditions of insecurity, and discusses the role of language education in overcoming hostility.
