This proposal addresses the research question: How do in-service ethnic minority (EM) teachers in Hong Kong engage in reflexive identity work to disrupt linguistic and cultural hierarchies in multilingual classrooms, and what pedagogical practices emerge from this process to foster belonging among EM students? The objective of this study is to explore the micro-level pedagogical and ideological strategies that EM teachers deploy to “undo” conventional authority and foster inclusive, multilingual learning environments. The study focuses on how reflexive teaching functions as an ethical and political act of resistance against systemic exclusion, particularly in postcolonial educational settings like Hong Kong, where English and Cantonese remain dominant in public schooling systems (Bhowmik et al., 2017; Sah, 2025).

The conceptual framework is anchored in identity undoing (Nicholson & Carroll, 2013), reflexive pedagogy (Iszatt-White et al., 2017), and critical praxis (Waller et al., 2016). Identity undoing describes the active process of decoupling oneself from institutionalized identity roles, in this case, monolingual, authoritative teacher personas, to reconfigure professional identity in more collaborative, dialogic terms. Reflexive pedagogy situates teaching as a continual practice of self-inquiry, where educators interrogate their own positionalities in relation to power structures in the classroom. Critical praxis provides the framework for understanding how these ideological transformations materialize in specific, socially just teaching strategies aimed at recognizing and affirming marginalized students’ voices, languages, and experiences.

The European and international dimension of this proposal lies in its implications for super-diverse, multilingual educational settings beyond Hong Kong. Across Europe, particularly in countries with growing immigrant populations (e.g. Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands), schools are grappling with similar tensions between dominant linguistic norms and the realities of plurilingual classrooms. This research contributes to transnational conversations about the role of teacher identity, agency, and reflexivity in addressing structural inequalities in education. The process of “undoing” authority to reconfigure pedagogical relationships is relevant to international educators committed to inclusive, democratic schooling in post-migration societies.

Furthermore, this proposal aligns with current European policy goals, such as those outlined in the Council of Europe's Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, which advocate for intercultural awareness, inclusive education, and the deconstruction of hierarchical teacher-student power dynamics. By examining teacher agency in a postcolonial Asian context, this study offers valuable insights for European educators confronting racialized language ideologies and challenges of integration within their own school systems. Ultimately, this research aims to bridge global south and global north discourses on education, critically highlighting how teachers across contexts can co-construct pedagogies of belonging through reflective and inclusive practices.

This study adopts a qualitative multiple-case study design to examine the experiences of three in-service ethnic minority (EM) teachers working in Hong Kong public secondary schools. Case study methodology (Yin, 2018) enables an in-depth, context-rich exploration of teacher identity as a dynamic, reflexive process shaped by sociocultural and institutional contexts. Data Collection Methods included: 1) Semi-structured interviews (two rounds per participant) that focused on participants’ teaching philosophies, experiences of marginalization, strategies for fostering inclusion, and reflections on power and authority in the classroom. 2) Classroom observations (minimum 6 hours per participant) that allowed for triangulation of interview data with live teaching practices, documenting instances of student-teacher interaction, language choices, and pedagogical decision-making. 3) Teacher reflective journals that participants were invited to share in forms of written reflections over a two-month period, and offered insight into ongoing identity negotiations and classroom dilemmas. The participants (South Asian heritage teachers educated in Hong Kong) represent a growing but under-researched demographic navigating institutional marginality while teaching students from similarly minoritized backgrounds (Bhowmik et al., 2017; Sah, 2025). The research foregrounds their positionality and reflexivity as key to understanding how they enact pedagogies of resistance and belonging. Data Analysis followed an iterative, thematic approach informed by Braun & Clarke’s (2006) model. NVivo software was used to assist in coding, categorizing, and identifying emergent patterns related to reflexive identity work, multilingual inclusion, and authority undoing. Analytical categories were shaped by the conceptual framework, particularly the constructs of identity undoing (Nicholson & Carroll, 2013), reflexive pedagogy (Iszatt-White et al., 2017), and critical praxis (Waller et al., 2016). The study adheres to ethical research protocols, with participant anonymity, voluntary participation, and member-checking processes implemented throughout. By combining interviews, observations, and reflexive texts, this study captures the complex ways that teacher identity is performed, resisted, and reimagined in multilingual postcolonial classrooms. The method is intentionally dialogic and participatory, positioning teachers as co-constructors of knowledge rather than passive research subjects.

Preliminary findings suggest that identity undoing among EM teachers in Hong Kong is a deeply reflexive and relational process that involves reimagining authority, embracing multilingualism, and centering belonging. These teachers actively disrupt institutional expectations of language gatekeeping by validating students’ translanguaging practices and encouraging cultural expression in the classroom (Nazari et al., 2023; Kim & Uysal, 2025). Three key patterns have emerged: 1) Reflexive repositioning of authority, 2) Structural classroom reconfigurations, and 3) Pedagogies of belonging. First, teachers moved away from hierarchical, corrective roles and toward co-learner identities. This shift was enacted through dialogic teaching, vulnerability, and shared decision-making. Second, teachers redesigned classroom interaction norms to allow space for multiple languages and cultural references, disrupting monolingual biases embedded in Hong Kong’s education system (Sah, 2025). And, lastly, teachers cultivated affective connections and cultural resonance with students, using shared experiences of marginalization as a bridge for relational trust and engagement. These findings point to the potential of reflexive teaching as a decolonial and socially just pedagogy, particularly in contexts marked by racialized language hierarchies and cultural exclusion. The research also offers important implications for European and international teacher education: identity work is not only a personal journey but a structural intervention capable of reconfiguring exclusionary classroom spaces. By centering the agency of EM teachers, this study challenges deficit narratives about minority educators and offers a vision of teacher identity as political praxis, that is responsive, relational, and transformative.

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