Speaking Q’anjobal, Spanish, and English: a world where other worlds are possible

ABSTRACT

Currently, there is a call for more humane ways in humanities, for transitions to a world where other worlds are possible. This qualitative case study analyzes an emergent translingual boy’s participation in diverse spatial repertoires to address issues of learning and community belonging. José is a 4-year-old preschool Guatemalan-ancestry boy, who speaks Q’anjob’al, Spanish, and English. He was placed in an English classroom with daily 30-min Spanish and English pullout. José participated in the pullout to a desirable extent but was marginalized in the English classroom. At home, José had varied opportunities for participating in diverse spatial repertoires. I discuss how home and school have different conceptions of learning and community belonging, and how the home setting with pluriversed spatial repertoires sheds light on a pedagogical practice aimed at transitioning towards a world where other worlds are possible.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Beatriz Eugenia Guerrero-Arias

Beatriz Eugenia Guerrero-Arias (PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an Assistant Professor at Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. Her current research interests relate to intersectionality, language identity, and racialized literacies.