This edited volume provides innovative insights into how critical language pedagogy and taboo topics can inform and transform the teaching and learning of foreign languages. The book investigates the potential as well as the challenges involved in dealing with taboo topics in the foreign language classroom. These are traditionally often subsumed under the acronym PARSNIP (politics, alcohol, religion, narcotics, isms, and pork) to critically examine how challenging topics such as disability, racism, conspiracy theories and taboo language can be integrated into conceptual teaching frameworks and teaching practice. It draws on examples from literacy texts and pop culture such as young adult novels, music videos, or rap songs and investigates their potential for developing critical literacies. The book considers foreign language teaching outside of English teaching contexts and sets the groundwork for addressing the integration of taboo topics in foreign language education theory, research and practice. Filling an important gap in educational research, the book will be of great interest to researchers, academics and students of foreign language education, critical pedagogy and applied linguistics. It will also be useful reading for teacher trainers and educators of foreign language education.

In the context of foreign language education, the importance of cultural and literary studies has grown continuously in our globalising world. Language educators and researchers are looking into ways in which inter- and transcultural awareness and competence can be developed so that learners become responsible global citizens. This volume invites the reader to engage in critical thinking while reflecting upon important theoretical concepts and their application in practice. The contributions deal with a wide variety of topics including antinomies that mark literary and cultural competence development, textbook analysis, Shakespeare, South Africa, India, and pop culture artefacts such as graphic novels and songs. Resources are presented to illustrate how theory can be related to practice.