Undoing inequalities: inclusive and transformative language practices in rural Argentinian Patagonia

ABSTRACT

This article reports a service learning experience carried out by university student tour-guides and pre-service teachers of English during 2017–2018 in a rural multi-grade primary school in northern Argentinian Patagonia. With their university English language teachers, participants taught workshops using intercultural literature in English to 6–14 year olds from the native Mapuche communities with no prior contact with English. They also designed and delivered two guided tours of heritage sites in the area. Theoretically, the study is grounded in a conceptualisation of social justice language education beyond redistribution, with a focus on recognition, inclusive language ideologies and practices, and transformative learning. Designed as a case study, data comprise reflection logs, workshop and tour plans, field notes, children’s artefacts, photographs and video-recordings of the experiences. Qualitative data analysis involves holistic, inductive and deductive phases. Findings indicate that the children engaged in multilingual, multimodal, creative and embodied forms of expression combining their affective and semiotic resources through literature, music, movement and embodiment, the creative arts and outdoor learning experiences. These resources became the means for initiating transformation of their selves and their social milieu focused on the local environment. Implications for language education in multilingual contexts are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Multiliteracies
• multimodality
• translanguaging
• social justice
• inclusive language practices
• outdoor learning
• self and social transformation
• Mapuche
• Mapudungun

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to one anonymous reviewer for his/her encouraging comments and suggestions, in particular the valuable insights on the notion of transformation. Our sincere appreciation also goes to those involved in the project for their commitment, support and dedication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Native peoples who live in the territory of Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia. In Argentina, they inhabit Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego provinces, the region of Antarctica and Atlántico Sur Islands. Source: Complementary Survey of Native Peoples, INDEC (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos), 2004–2005. https://www.indec.gob.ar/indec/web/Nivel4-Tema-2-21-99.

2 The theory of transformative learning originated in adult education, is complex, has several interrelated components and characteristics, and has been applied mainly in higher education contexts (Mezirow and Taylor 2009).

3 In Neuquén province, Mapudungun started to be taught in rural schools 20 years ago as part of an intercultural bilingual education programme. All teachers of Mapudungun must necessarily be members of the Mapuche community (Peschel-Paetzold 2008).

4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fkR7X4SevE.

5 Data extracts appear verbatim and we provide our own translations into English of the Spanish used.

6 Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes (2011, Noviembre). Diagnóstico del desarrollo cultural del pueblo mapuche. Región de la Araucanía. https://www.cultura.gob.cl/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Estudio-Diagnostico-del-Desarrollo-Cultural-del-Pueblo-Mapuche.pdf.

7 These trees are endemic species of Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. Most of their names have no English equivalent. We include their generic names for the sake of clarification: radal (Lomatia hirsuta), ñire (Nothofagus antarctica), maitén (Maytenus Boaria), pellín (Nothofagus obliqua), quetri (Luma apiculata), raulí (Nothofagus alpina).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Secretaría de Políticas Universitarias, Argentina [grant number V10- UNCOMA 3680 and V10- UNLP4611].

Notes on contributors

Melina Porto

Melina Porto is a researcher at the National Research Council (CONICET) and Professor at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina. She is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia. Her research interests include intercultural language education, intercultural citizenship, pedagogies of discomfort, the arts in language education, service learning, and ethics.

Gabriela Tavella

Gabriela Tavella holds an MA in Professional Development for Language Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, UK. ESP lecturer and director of research team at AUSMA, FADEL, UNCo. Professor at the Masters programme from FADEL, UNCo. Coordinator of professional development sessions and regular presenter at conferences. Former vice-president of FAAPI. Member of AJAL editorial board.

Carina Fernández

Carina Fernández is a teacher of English and holds a Postgraduate Degree in Language and Culture. ESP lecturer and researcher at AUSMA, FADEL, UNCo. Academic coordinator of language courses and trainer of advanced students for international examinations. Regular presenter at conferences.