The Rise of Identity in SLA Research, Post Firth and Wagner (1997)

TLDR

Firth and Wagner’s 1997 work, though not addressing identity directly, marked a shift toward incorporating social theory into SLA, prompting researchers to investigate links between second‑language learning and identity. This article reviews empirical studies that connect L2 learning with identity since Firth and Wagner and proposes future research directions. The author adopts a poststructuralist framework to examine identity, critically reviewing key studies across naturalistic, foreign‑language, and study‑abroad settings.

Abstract

Although Firth and Wagner (1997) did not explicitly discuss the issue of identity in second language acquisition (SLA) research, their article was symptomatic of a general trend to open up SLA to social theory and sociological and sociolinguistic research, which in turn led some researchers to explore links between second language (L2) learning and identity. In this article, I discuss empirical research linking L2 learning and identity that has been published since Firth and Wagner. I begin with a discussion of the broadly poststructuralist approach to identity, which has become the approach of choice among researchers taking this line of enquiry. I then critically review key publications carried out in three distinct L2 learning contexts: naturalistic, foreign language, and study abroad. I conclude with some suggestions about future directions for identity‐in‐SLA research.