Pedagogies of Resistance and Healing: Latinx Dual Language Bilingual Education Teachers Battling Racialized Ideologies of Languagelessness in Arizona

ABSTRACT

Language ideologies of Latinx dual language bilingual education (DLBE) teachers have been increasingly examined, but few studies have chosen a race-based analytical approach. This study examines the language ideologies of six Latinx K-5 DLBE teachers in Arizona through the lens of “racialized ideologies of languagelessness.” At the time of the study, all six teachers considered themselves bilingual. Yet, they shared experiences with linguistic violence during their upbringing and K-12 schooling and identified areas of vulnerabilities that had undermined their self-perception of bilingualism. We report the complexities of these teachers’ racialized language ideologies, shaped by their experiences with linguistic violence as well as positive reinforcement during their upbringing and teaching careers. As DLBE teachers, our participants reflect on their complex experiences with language to stop the cycle of linguistic violence and racialized ideologies of languagelessness for the next generation of bi/multilingual children in their classrooms. We call their critically conscious practices “pedagogies of resistance and healing.”

KEYWORDS:

• Dual language bilingual education
• language ideologies
• Latinx teachers
• linguistic violence
• racialized ideologies of languagelessness

Acknowledgment

We are deeply grateful to the teachers who warmly welcomed us into their space and generously shared their stories with us.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. Given the linguistic profiles of the participating teachers as Spanish-English bilinguals, we use “bilingual” to refer to them. However, we occasionally use the pluralistic alternative “bi/multilingual” to refer to teachers, in general, who speak more than one language.

2. We define “bilingual” as anyone who can use two languages (or language varieties) with varying proficiencies and frequency depending on context and purpose (Grosjean, 2010). This view disrupts notions such as balanced bilingual, semilingual, and languageless. The teachers’ perspectives about their bilingualism may not necessarily align with our definition, which will provide space for discussion about their language ideologies.

3. While Rosa does not explicitly define “personhood,” we interpret it to refer to humanness determined by historical colonizer/colonized relations (Wynter, 2003).

4. ELD: English Language Development.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yalda M. Kaveh

Yalda M. Kaveh is an Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education at Arizona State University. Her work focuses on language policy, bi/multilingualism in (im)migrant families, family engagement in education, and culturally sustaining pedagogies. She is particularly interested in the forms of power, such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, and religion, shaping language ideologies and language policies and planning in schools and families.

Alexandria Estrella-Bridges

Alexandria Estrella Bridges is a Clinical Associate Professor at Arizona State University. She worked as a middle school teacher for several years before serving in her current role as a teacher educator with a focus on language, literacy, and culture for over a decade. Her research has involved language policies, classroom practices, and the experiences of bi/multilingual teachers.