This edited book focuses on practices of work in late modern society, taking an ‘issue-based’ and interdisciplinary approach to English Studies which acknowledges the impact of globalization on the position of English in the daily existence of millions of people around the world.

Chapter 1: Engaging with Work in Worlds of Change (Alastair Henry and Åke Persson).- Part One: Identities.- Chapter 2: ‘Imagine Being So Suddenly Useless’: Unemployment, Vulnerability and the Irish Financial Crash in Donal Ryan’s The Spinning Heart (Åke Persson).- Chapter 3: Authenticity at Work: English Teachers’ Experiences of Authentic and Inauthentic Acting (Alastair Henry and Sofia Olsén).- Chapter 4: ‘We Do No Harm, We Say What We Want, and We Get Paid for It’: Academic Work and Dignity in Stoner by John Williams (Celia Aijmer Rydsö).- Chapter 5: Working with Identity Work: Supporting Professional Identity Development in Teacher Education (Alastair Henry).- Part Two: Oppositions and Transformations.- Chapter 6: The Superhero and the Tiger Mom: Exploring the Relation Between Parental Expectations and Career Choices in Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew’s The Shadow Hero (Ulrika Andersson Hval).- Chapter 7: Changing English, Changing Challenges: The Work of TeachingEnglish in a Context of Diverse Experiences (Anna Elgemark and Maria Mollstedt).- Chapter 8: Interpreting Children’s Working Lives in James Joyce’s Ulysses (Barry Ryan).- Chapter 9: Global English in the Workplace: Workplace English as a Lingua Franca (WELF) and Successful WELF Users (Hyeseung Jeong).- Chapter 10: From ‘Mayday’ to #MeToo: Workplace Sexual Harassment in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments and The Heart Goes Last (Susanna Rokka). 

“This is a must-read book for anybody with an interest in the broad field of English Studies, especially in its relationship to skills and work processes. The chapters combine to an inspiring set of cogently argued connections between research and its applications in the real world; a world that relies as much on language as a tool for engagement as it does on a humanistic approach to solving the major challenges of our times. This is a timely and much needed appraisal of the opportunities and challenges for learners and users of English in a globalised context.” —Svenja Adolphs, Professor of English Language and Linguistics, Head of School of English, University of Nottingham, UK “This book is an essential tool for any teacher who wishes to connect the study of English with the developments of global anglophone society, or who is contemplating the role of the English teacher in a diverse and transforming world. Considering English as a lingua franca and exploring dystopian fiction and superhero comics as well as canonical novels, the book establishes a new standard for thinking about English in and beyond the classroom.” —Johan Höglund, Professor of English Literature, Linnaeus University, SwedenThis edited book focuses on practices of work in late modern society, taking an ‘issue-based’ and interdisciplinary approach to English Studies which acknowledges the impact of globalization on the position of English in the daily existence of millions of people around the world. Envisioning English as “a diverse yet unified subject” where the study of literature, language, and education can be pursued thematically, it constitutes part of an ongoing transformation and revitalization of English Studies. It will be of interest to readers with backgrounds in linguistics, literature and education, as well as fields normally seen as lying ‘beyond’ English Studies such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, urbanstudies, political science and childhood studies.Alastair Henry is Professor of Language Education in the Department of Social and Behavioural Studies at University West, Sweden. Åke Persson is Professor of English Literatures in the Department of Social and Behavioural Studies at University West, Sweden. 

“This is a must-read book for anybody with an interest in the broad field of English Studies, especially in its relationship to skills and work processes. The chapters combine to an inspiring set of cogently argued connections between research and its applications in the real world; a world that relies as much on language as a tool for engagement as it does on a humanistic approach to solving the major challenges of our times. This is a timely and much needed appraisal of the opportunities and challenges for learners and users of English in a globalised context.” —Svenja Adolphs, Professor of English Language and Linguistics, Head of School of English, University of Nottingham, UK “This book is an essential tool for any teacher who wishes to connect the study of English with the developments of global anglophone society, or who is contemplating the role of the English teacher in a diverse and transforming world. Considering English as a lingua franca and exploring dystopian fiction and superhero comics as well as canonical novels, the book establishes a new standard for thinking about English in and beyond the classroom.” —Johan Höglund, Professor of English Literature, Linnaeus University, Sweden

Explores work from a variety of angles, and in relation to a range of concerns Envisions English as "a diverse yet unified subject" where the study of literature, language, and education can be pursued thematically Constitutes part of an ongoing transformation and revitalization of English Studies in a globalizing world