Linking Oceans: English, Economic Diversity and National Identity in Panama GEORGE PAKOZDI University of Toronto
[email protected] 1.1 Introduction PANAMA’S UNIQUE HISTORY AND RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES GIVES IT A UNIQUE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SITUATION—since at least the late 19th century English has been a prestige language, the language of business and international trade and yet for much of this time, Panamanian national identity was largely based around a deliberate rejection of the use of English in public life. The struggle for a unique Panamanian identity had the unfortunate side effect of ignoring the country’s multicultural reality and discriminating against ethnic, racial and linguistic minorities. Though progress has been made, these problems have unfortunately not been sufficiently amended. In the past two decades, American influence in Panama has largely receded. Since the American invasion and removal in 1989 of caudillo (strongman) Manuel Noriega, whom had initially been supported by but later ran afoul of the American administration, Panama has enjoyed free, internationally monitored elections. No longer are its leaders viewed as mere American puppets. As a consequence of this diminished influence, English has been freed of much of its earlier stigma; it is more widely taught and spoken than ever, and critical to the country’s finance-, trade- and tourism-based economy. A report published by the British Council in 2000 identifies Panama as a country in transition from EFL to L2 status (Graddol 2000, 11). Most post-secondary education in Panama is conducted in English. As Steven Humphries has found, Panamanian university and English-language instruction students expect studying in English to help them access wealth, prestige and power (Humphries 2005, 79).