Artificial intelligence and the stories we live by: an ecolinguistic approach with science-fiction short stories in the language classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2236-4242.v39i2p%25pKeywords:
Ecolinguistics, Digital colonialism, Technology determinism, Literature and language teaching, Critical pedagogyAbstract
This study investigates the intersections between artificial intelligence (AI), digital colonialism, ecolinguistics, and language education, arguing for the pedagogical relevance of science fiction literature as a critical and ecological resource in the language classroom. Grounded in decolonial theory and ecolinguistics, particularly Stibbe’s (2021) concept of “stories we live by”, we problematize dominant discourses that frame AI as neutral, inevitable, and universally beneficial, stressing that its social, educational, and ecological implications are backgrounded. The study first revisits colonialism as a historical and ongoing structure of power (Mignolo, 2009, 2012; Soares, 2024; Walsh, 2009) and discusses its contemporary reconfigurations through digital technologies (Faustino and Lippold, 2023; Mizan and Ferraz, 2024), highlighting how AI systems reproduce epistemic and technological asymmetries, especially in the Global South. We then articulate ecolinguistics as an ethical and analytical framework capable of unveiling environmentally destructive narratives embedded in language and discourse, thus seeking alternative and more sustainable ways of living. Drawing on this perspective, the article analyzes two short stories by Isaac Asimov: The Fun They Had (1951) and The Last Question (1956) through Stibbe’s analytical categories, discussing how these narratives construct and, at the same time, question stories of technological determinism, automated education, and technological salvationism. Finally, we propose a teaching sequence that integrates critical pedagogy, ecolinguistic perspectives, and literature teaching, suggesting classroom activities aimed at fostering students’ critical awareness of human–technology–environment relations. The article concludes by calling for greater engagement with ecological perspectives and environmental criticism within Critical Applied Linguistics, an area that remains underexplored despite its growing urgency in contemporary educational and societal debates.
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