JACQUES RANCIÈRE’S PHILOSOPHY OF INTELLECTUAL EMANCIPATION AND ITS APPLICABILITY IN CONTEMPORARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Abstract

This article introduces the educational philosophy of the French philosopher Jacques Rancière through his renowned work “The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five Lessons in Intellectual Emancipation” (1991). Based on the real-life story of Joseph Jacotot, a 19th-century educator who developed a method of teaching foreign languages without explanation by using an original text, Rancière presents the concepts of intellectual equality and intellectual emancipation through self-directed learning. The author analyzes and discusses the significance of these two core concepts for contemporary language education in the 21st century. In the modern context of information explosion and diversified learning modes, Rancière’s ideas provide a theoretical foundation for rethinking the role of teachers, encouraging learner autonomy, and fostering a more emancipatory and egalitarian environment for foreign language education, where learners are empowered to independently explore and master the target language.