<![CDATA[English Language Teaching (ELT) in many global and Indonesian contexts has long been dominated by technical–instrumental orientations, including grammar instruction, standardized test preparation, and utilitarian communicative competence for academic and economic mobility. These practices reduce language to a functional skill and overlook its deeper humanistic, moral, and philosophical dimensions. This conceptual article examines ELT through the philosophical notion of humans as language-making beings individuals who construct meaning, identity, and social reality through language. Drawing on humanistic educational philosophy, perspectives on linguistic rights, Maturana’s theory of language and emotion, and contemporary critiques of exam-oriented ELT, the article argues that language education should serve as a process of humanization rather than technical training. The discussion highlights the need to reorient ELT toward moral imagination, hope, advocacy, and global citizenship. The article also situates these issues in the Indonesian ELT landscape, where exam-driven and native-speaker–oriented practices remain dominant, despite growing calls for multilingual justice. Ultimately, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for humanistic ELT that affirms learners’ identities, supports ethical awareness, and promotes English as a medium for constructing meaningful social participation.]]>
Copyrights © 2025
