Celebratory or guilty multilingualism? English medium instruction challenges, pedagogical choices, and teacher agency in Pakistan

This study examines teachers' language appropriation strategies in the multilingual setting of Pakistani universities to show how they negotiate the official/institutional constraints imposed in the implementation of English Medium Instruction (EMI). Working in a monoglossic environment gripped by 'guilty multilingualism', these teachers assert their agentive reflexivity and critical awareness to challenge the normative assumptions and change the pedagogical norms through their celebratory multilingualism approach. Celebratory multilingualism defines the use and recognition of local multilingualism as a valuable pedagogical resource to support students, challenged by the EMI policy. Conversely, guilty multilingualism refers to the negative perceptions of teachers, who feel guilty about local language use and hesitate to publicly recognize their pedagogical value, despite knowing the various benefits local multilingualism brings. The study concludes that policy does not always rest in policymakers' hands; individual teachers can also create policies of their choice, acting simultaneously as policymakers and implementors.