DOI: 10.70870/joinesp.1856797 ISSN: 2980-2636

Review of English for Academic Purposes: Perspectives on the Past, Present and Future by Douglas E Bell

Alan Ali Saeed
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English For Academic Purposes: Perspectives on the Past, Present and Future (2024) is a history of the development of EAP as an academic discipline, situated within the framework of university education and which is focused on the growth of EAP in Britain. The author, Douglas Bell has been a well-known, experienced practitioner in the field of EAP for many years and is therefore well-placed to offer such a history. The book explains how EAP slowly became distinct from ESP (a subject seldom examined) and then explores in detail the various reasons for current models of EAP practice. It does this by drawing primarily upon qualitative research in the shape of interviews with notable British EAP practitioners who are part of the history of the discipline. As the title suggests, the author hopes that by allowing EAP practitioners to reflect on the history of their discipline they can more usefully consider the context for subsequent advances and the book concludes with an exploration of currents trends within EAP.

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