The Imperialistic Role of Spanish Historical Readers in the Late 19th Century: A Form of Language Planning in U.S. Colonies

• In Event: 14.044 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.044-8 - Language, Power, and Creative Plurilingualisms in International Contexts

Abstract

This paper examines a collection of Spanish-English bilingual reading textbooks from the 19th century. The research presents the formats in which these texts presented reading material, as well as the context in which they were created, disseminated, and used. By analyzing the content and secondary sources related to the readers’ sociohistorical era, the authors’ explore what learning opportunities they provided for bilingual learning. The findings suggest that bilingual textbooks are products of imperialism, with students’ home languages used as means of control and standardization rather than as a response to student or teacher needs. This historical analysis and discussion offers insight in understanding the uses and functions of contemporary bilingual textbooks and their adoption in modern classrooms.

Authors

• Lucia Cardenas Curiel, The University of Texas - Austin

• Leah Durán, The University of Arizona