Rejecting colonial frameworks to support the linguistic identities of racialized bilinguals
In short: Researchers drawing on fieldwork and personal experience argue that current educational approaches to racialized bilinguals are often shaped by colonial ideologies. They suggest that instead of following rigid, colonial-era boundaries of named languages, educators should adopt a perspective that recognizes the full linguistic and cultural repertoires these students use to navigate their worlds.
The authors propose a decolonial approach that centers the existing knowledge and practices of bilingual learners. By moving away from 'abyssal thinking'—which erases non-dominant ways of knowing—the study suggests that justice in education can be achieved by valuing the linguistic-semiotic and historical repertoires that have historically been distorted or ignored.
Why it matters: True educational justice for bilingual students requires recognizing the linguistic practices that colonial frameworks have historically erased.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Garca et al. (2021). Rejecting abyssal thinking in the language and education of racialized bilinguals: A manifesto. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies. · cc-by-nc-nd
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