This volume, edited by Braine, has some links to a volume he edited 6 years earlier (Braine, 1999). The major purpose of the earlier work was to provide personal narratives of a number of nonnative English language teachers from various world settings. This volume relies on nonnative teachers to present information on the history of English language teaching and the most prominent curricula for this teaching in their respective countries, followed by their autobiographies. The issue of nonnative teachers of English has gained increasing prominence in recent years, as witnessed by the growing number of conference colloquia, formation of new interest sections within professional associations, and publications devoted to this topic. This volume contributes to that topic and movement but goes even further by adding information on what English language teaching has meant in key countries around the world.
The volume is addressed mostly to a Western audience, with specific reference made in the introduction to the large number of nonnative speakers of English enrolled in North American TESOL programs as well as native speakers there who aim to teach in foreign countries. The editor also expresses his hope that this volume might partially correct the extreme imbalance in the literature on English language teaching so heavily dominated by native-speaker authors. A problem in any such book is the issue of representation among the samples chosen. Here the editor has collected chapters from 15 countries grouped into four major categories. One group, representing former British colonies, includes chapters devoted to India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. From Europe, there are three countries: Germany, Hungary, and Poland. A third group includes countries that are former colonies of countries other than Britain—Brazil, Indonesia, and Lebanon. The fourth group includes countries with no colonial past: The People's Republic of China, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The editor expresses regret that only one country is included from South America and describes his unsuccessful attempts to locate authors from even one country in Africa.
There are four sections in each chapter. Each begins with a brief summary to provide background information on the country in question. This is the weakest part of the book, however, because many of these descriptions are far too brief to do justice to the topic—some are as short as two paragraphs. The historical sections are well done, and although more information would have been helpful here too, the references provide readers with sources to explore more about these points. The parts devoted to curricula should be helpful to readers who wish to gain insight into how English language teaching is organized at the various educational levels in these countries. The final autobiographical section in each chapter does indeed add to what readers can learn about nonnative teachers of English and how they have progressed in their work. However, an important question should be raised here. Most of the authors represented are examples of nonnative speakers who, despite early and significant struggles in their training and employment, went on to achieve advanced degrees—often abroad—and now hold positions in higher education. As such, they would not now be considered typical examples of nonnative teachers of English in any of these countries.
Despite these drawbacks, this volume does add to what the editor has recognized as the sparse literature on this topic. Readers can, with guidance, learn much from what it includes.
