Piazzoli, Erika (2018): Embodying Language in Action. The Artistry of Process Drama in Second Language Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract

Let’s start with the image on the book cover which is placed between the author’s name and the book title. It immediately grabs our attention, shows how eight adult individuals bodily connect and create a beautiful shape that looks like a flower, or rather a flower in full bloom. Is the shape that has been created by these individuals (movement artists?) the result of excellent choreography? The ‘embodiment image’ prepares the reader for the main focus of Erika Piazzoli’s monograph (367 pages): the aesthetic dimension of foreign language teaching and learning. Reflecting on “What is ‘Artistry’ and Why Do We Need It in Second Language Education?” in Chapter 1, she then continues to address the aesthetic dimension in three parts: In Part I (chapters 2-5) she engages with “Key Definitions in the Aesthetic Dimension”; Part II (chapters 6-8) deals with aspects of “Navigating the Aesthetic Dimension”; Part III (chapters 9-12) centres on “Researching the Aesthetic Dimension”. In these twelve chapters the author deals with a broad range of theoretical perspectives, including second language education, sociocultural theory, neuroscience and art history. This review highlights some aspects of this impressive monograph by concentrating on keywords which are captured in its title: process ...