ABSTRACT
The concepts of culture and cultural difference have been discussed in the field of language education, echoing scholarly work on intercultural communication which has laid the conceptual foundation of culture in general. The topics and approaches related to culture in language teaching have included (1) teaching culture as content, (2) cultural awareness in teaching, (3) cultural representations in teaching materials, (4) critical approaches to teaching culture, and (5) issues of cultural identity. Consistent with the recent shift from the fixed and normative conceptualization of English language to an emphasis on linguistic fluidity, plurality, and hybridity as seen in Global Englishes, understandings of culture have shifted from the essentialist view focusing on national cultures and White Anglo images to more pluralistic conceptualizations, embracing multiplicity and fluidity. However, just as pluralistic approaches to English often obscure power and inequity that exist between Englishes, approaches to cultural diversity tend to mirror liberal multiculturalism that celebrates cultural difference in a superficial manner, while falling into cultural essentialism and obscuring power and inequalities. Critical approaches to culture caution against uncritical pluralism and promote teaching English for more equitable and just intercultural communication.
