Hilary Falb Kalisman presented for the History of English Language Education (HELE) Webinar series
Hilary Falb Kalisman gave a talk as part of the History of English Language Education (HELE) Webinar series, sponsored by the AINET Association of English Teachers, The E.L.T. Archive, HELE-India Group, HELE Society and Warwick HoLLT research group.Ìý
ÀϾÅÆ·²è the session: The British Council founded in 1930s, aimed at combatting Fascism while promoting goodwill towards Britain. Today, administering exams and English-language teaching provide much of the Council income. Falb Kalisman talk analyzes Britain former Mandates in the Middle East drawing from a range of archival materials in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. Middle Easterners’ interest in English and internationally valid certificates pushed the Council to change its soft-power techniques, from Shakespearean performances to examinations, thereby contributing to the spread of both English and standardized testing worldwide.