Acknowledgements Preface Introduction Dubious dichotomies and deceptive symmetries The importance of context in language education A discourse perspective Notes 1 Educational challenges Of challenges and conditions Challenge as action Challenge as paradox Challenge as dialogue Double-voiced discourse Dialogic breakthrough Notes 2 Contexts of speech and social interaction Whats in a context? Discourse and culture Contextual shaping Conclusion Notes 3 Teaching the spoken language Five case studies Problems and paradoxes Teaching language as (con)text Note 4 Stories and discourses Dimensions of particularity Understanding particularity Conclusion Note 5 Teaching the literary text Current practices Defining the reader Teaching the narrative Teaching poetry Post-teaching activities Conclusion Notes 6 Authentic texts and contexts What is cultural authenticity? The communicative proficiency approach The discourse analysis approach The challenge of multimedia Notes 7 Teaching language along the cultural faultline Cultural reality and cultural imagination C2, C2: reconstructing the C2 context of production and reception C1, C1 : constructing a context of reception in the learners native culture C1, C2 in the eyes of others Of bridges and boundaries Notes 8 Looking for third places A popular culture A critical culture An ecological culture Conclusion Notes Appendices Bibliography Index