El discurso del inglés estándar: ¿Un ejercicio de poder disciplinario en becas internacionales?

Abstract

This study seeks to add understanding on how the discourse of Standard English exercises disciplinary power in international scholarships concessions, particularly those by the alliance AIESEC-ICETEX. This aim arises from problematizing the disciplinary nature of these scholarships; for example, applicants to these scholarships have to hold certified English proficiency through so-called valid tests. My interest in the link between English language-related practices and disciplinary power lead me to consider the requisite of English as the research concern of this study. This is because said requisite seems to be product of a representation of Standard English varieties as functional for hidden agendas; this representation being regarded as the discourse of Standard English. Based on Fairclough’s (2001b) CDA model, I describe, interpret, and explain the implications of the interpersonal relations among social actors embedded in five scholarship calls for applicants of the alliance AIESEC-ICETEX between 2011 and 2014. The analysis involves relations with social and critical theory (e.g. Foucault, 1977, 1988a, 1988b, 2002; Bourdieu, 1986, 1995 cited in Rincón-Villamil, 2010; Saldarriaga, 2003; Chartier, 2004; Álvarez-Gallego, 1995; among others). I also establish relations with other texts such as the booklet Basic Standards of Competence (Ministry of Education, 2006) and a news article from the newsletter Altablero (Ministry of Education, 2005). Findings reveal that the discourse of Standard English entangles with the discourses of globalization, quality in education, and competitiveness and qualifications, to serve the path to the construction of subjects who apply for these scholarship programs. In this sense, school and the English language curriculum are set as a breeding ground whose disciplinary techniques (e.g. test training) objectivize human beings to satisfy multinational corporations hiring processes.