Researching transfronterizo literacies in Texas border colonias

Abstract

This study examines literacies practiced in bilingual households located in emerging communities along the Texas–Mexico border known as border colonias. Drawing on theoretical notions of space as geographic and temporal, the simultaneity of global and local forces at work in colonias, and expressions of agency that are ‘in between’ accommodation and resistance, we focus on the forms and practices of literacy that bilingual families are engaging in to satisfy financial and religious needs in Spanish and English. Through interviews and home visits with parents in two colonias, this qualitative study found diverse and interesting uses of written Spanish that can support children's biliteracy development even as the use of written Spanish is discouraged in schools and parents are ambivalent about the use of Spanish literacy for academic purposes. We identify four themes – what children learn through Spanish; child language socialization; biliteracy and human capital; and demographic and economic change – and identify possibilities for learning and research among this understudied population.

Keywords:

• border colonias
• biliteracy
• family literacy
• religious literacy
• financial literacy
• US–Mexico border

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Ligia Cuadra and parents in the group Apasionados por la Lectura and to the parents in the Plazas Comunitarias program. Muchas gracias a Amabilia Valenzuela and Vanora Dávila for help with data collection. Patrick Smith was supported by a start-up grant from the University of Texas at El Paso. Luz Murillo received research funding from the C. Bascom Slemp Fellowship at the University of Texas Pan American.