Acknowledgements ; Preface ; Introduction ; Dubious dichotomies and deceptive symmetries ; The importance of context in language education ; A discourse perspective ; Notes ; 1. Educational challenge ; Of challenges and conditions ; Challenge as action ; Challenge as paradox ; Challenge as dialogue ; Double-voiced discourse ; Dialogic breakthrough ; Notes ; 2. Contexts of speech and social interaction ; What's in a context? ; Discourse and culture ; Contextual shaping ; Conclusion ; Notes ; 3. Teaching the spoken language ; Five case studies ; Problems and paradoxes ; Teaching language as (con)/text ; Notes ; 4. Stories and discourses ; Dimensions of particularity ; Understanding of particularity ; Conclusion ; Notes ; 5. Teaching the literary text ; Current practices ; Defining the reader ; Teaching the narrative ; Teaching poetry ; Post-teaching activities ; Conclusion ; Notes ; 6. Authentic texts and contexts ; What is cultural authenticity? ; The communicative proficiency approach ; The discourse analysis approach ; The challenge of multimedia ; Notes ; 7. Teaching language across the cultural faultline ; Cultural reality and cultural imagination ; C2, C2': reconstructing the C2 context of production and reception ; C1, C1': constructing a context of reception in the learner's native culture ; C1", C2": in the eyes of others ; Of bridges and boundaries ; Notes ; 8. Looking for third places ; A popular culture ; A critical culture ; An ecological culture ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Appendices ; Bibliography ; Index