Anti-Black racism in China: A decolonial investigation of racial hierarchy and resistance with Black English teachers

Abstract

This article aims to expose anti-Black racism in Chinese society by illustrating Black English teachers’ experiences in the English language teaching (ELT) industry. Drawing upon eleven qualitative interviews, this article offers three findings. First, the racial hierarchy in China mirrors the temporal hierarchy constructed by Western colonialism in classifying cultures and peoples on a linear timeline. In detail, White people are placed on top, Chinese people are placed second, and Black people are placed last on the hierarchy. Second, such racial hierarchy reflects the essence of native-speakerism prevalent in the Chinese ELT industry. White supremacy underpins the illusion that Black teachers lack native-speaker status, giving rise to a sense of double consciousness in Black English instructors. Black teachers’ expertise are sidelined and denied. Finally, diverse racial representations in pedagogical materials are vital for cultural exchange and epistemological infrastructure. Pluralising racial representations as an anti-racist education for Chinese students offers knowledge about non-White people when White supremacy-dominated racial discourses have been disseminated through prevalent media consumption. Black English teachers humanise non-White people through their English education for resistance against racism.