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Article published In: Decolonial Approaches to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Applied Linguistics: Addressing local and global EDI challenges
Edited by Kyria Finardi, Marina Orsini-Jones and Azirah Hashim
[AILA Review 38:2] 2025
► pp. 216–236

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Language teacher education in Brazil and the place of equity, diversity, and inclusion

ORCiD logo with link | Universidade do Estado da Bahia
ORCiD logo with link | Universidade Federal do Paraná
ORCiD logo with link | Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Published online: 11 December 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.24046.sal
Abstract
In 2015, the Brazilian Ministry of Education published a new set of requirements for Language Teacher Education programs (Resolution 2/2015), which included an increase in the number of minimum required hours of study and a larger number of hours for practicum classes. Since then, universities have reformed and/or redesigned their curricula to meet the new policy, based not only on the new requirements but also on current scholarship in Applied Linguistics and Literary Studies. However, there is little research on whether new curricula have addressed issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), particularly to curricular and onto-epistemic justice, considering the extent of gender, racial, regional, and other inequalities in Brazil. In this article, we address this gap by investigating how EDI has (not) been included and contemplated/considered in the curricula of English undergraduate programs in three Brazilian public universities. Drawing on conceptualizations of decoloniality and social/curricular justice, we use collective autoethnography to analyze our own experiences as language educators working with such curricula, paying attention to the following dimensions: whether EDI has been incorporated in the overall conception of each program; whether there are classes that address notions pertaining to EDI; and how (or how else) we may find space for including EDI principles in each program. Our results show that EDI generally goes through a process of conceptual diluting in curricular discourses. Therefore, EDI initiatives often operate in curricular margins, through individualized initiatives, particularly in research and community service practices.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Social and curricular justice — what lies within the horizon
    • 2.2Decoloniality and social/curricular justice
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Collective autoethnography as a method
    • 3.2Research design: Connecting and collaborating
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1Sharing our stories
    • 4.2Sharing our categories
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
References (36)
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