Is the Language you Teach Racist?
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: In this manuscript, I weave personal and professional stories with available literature to advocate for the necessity of decolonizing language education, taking a primary interest in the English and Spanish languages and in the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and the Caribbean islands. Thus, I first set the stage by providing a brief historical overview of the effects caused by colonialism on the Indigenous Peoples, languages, and cultures of the Americas and the Caribbean islands. Then, I introduce my journey toward personal and professional decolonization and share practical examples of how I decolonize my teaching with the vision that this information will be helpful to readers. I end this article with final thoughts and an open invitation for further dialogue. My hope is that language (teacher) educators will use this essay as a critical reading for their language teacher pre- and in-service preparation programs and in other academic spaces.
Author: Luis Javier Pentón Herrera
Institution: University of Warsaw
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4281805679