Join us for this entry in the Linguistic Seminar Series:
Talk Title: Decolonizing Raciolinguistic Ideologies of Difference in Language Education
Abstract: In the U.S., ideologies of difference and inclusion have historically tied together race and language in ways that reinscribe whiteness as normative and desirable. It is commonly assumed that as a nation, “we” have moved beyond a racial past, with language differences serving as one of the present frameworks for realizing a multicultural future of equality and inclusion. Yet in language education, racial and linguistic ideologies continue to position minoritized groups as needing academic and social interventions while claiming to value the linguistic and cultural practices of diverse student populations. In this talk, I discuss how my research ethnographically describes and attempts to decenter liberal and progressive ideologies of diversity and multiculturalism. These raciolinguistic ideologies appear to validate difference while reinscribing the logic of white supremacy. I conclude the talk by discussing possibilities for decolonizing raciolinguistic ideologies of difference in language education and other social institutions.