Qatar's development is intertwined with migration, resulting in the native population forming a minority. Zooming in on the academic world, which is in the midst of reform processes, we investigate the impact of the expat majority on the identity work of Qatari female junior academics. Drawing on a narrative as social practice approach, we study…

As a consequence of accelerating globalisation there has been an emphasis on developing international students' proficiency to communicate in a foreign language. However, willingness to communicate in a foreign language other than English is an issue less discussed. This case study is an attempt to clarify expats' experience of living in Denmark…

This paper analyses narratives told by foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in a Hong Kong church shelter. The narratives provide evidence that FDHs appear to be untouched by the ethics and equity of Hong Kong society. They are denied the rights that apply to other groups: the right to eat, rest and talk; they are humiliated and denigrated, and the…

This paper will discuss two issues related to Japanese retirees adopting Malaysia as their second home. The first is that of the preferred language choice of the retirees. To collect data for language choice a self-report questionnaire was administered and an interview was conducted. The findings suggest that the majority of the retirees chose…

This paper forms part of a wider research project which examines how the Kantian concept of "Mundigkeit" or "maturity" may be represented in subjective accounts of language learning, known as "language learner narratives". It is shown that the metaphors used in these texts frequently do not so much represent congenial relations of hospitality…

This article examines variations in beliefs and practices between British English language teaching (ELT) specialists and their Chinese colleagues in a cross-cultural educational development project which used interviews and a questionnaire survey to gather the perceptions and retrospective experiences of Chinese tertiary teachers and expatriate…

This paper explores the participation of the French Foreign Legion in national conflicts (from colonial conquest to peace-keeping) and its impact on the imagined community constituted by the unit. Implicit to the notion of the Legion as refuge and fellow legionnaires as a band of brothers are narratives of identity and difference grounded in…