Voices From the Field: Identity, Language, and Power in Multilingual Research Settings

Abstract

This introduction situates the theme of this special issue across several disciplines where there is a growing body of literature, critique, and research on critical reflexivity and reflection of being in the field. The articles explore issues of identity, language, power, and positionality by and of the researcher in multilingual fields in Canada, Spain, China, and the United States. Through an examination of pre-, in-, and post-field experiences, the articles in this special issue focus diverse “methodological rich points” (Hornberger, 2006, p. 221) in relation to the politics of “being in the field” when researching multilingual practices across transnational spaces.

Keywords:

• fieldwork
• multilingualism
• identity
• language
• power
• positionality
• reflexivity

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the anonymous peer reviewers for their helpful and timely feedback on the articles in this special issue. We also extend our appreciation to the editors of the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education as well as the production editorial team at Taylor & Francis Group for their support and advice. Finally, we thank our authors for their enthusiasm, promptness in responding to queries and making changes, and contributions.