Biliteracy as Property: The Promise and Perils of the Seal of Biliteracy

• In Event: Biliteracy Development and Multimodalities for Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

This presentation explores the growing popularity of “seal of biliteracy” (SoBL) programming in the U.S. We draw on the framework of whiteness as property (Harris, 1993, 2015) to examine racialized privilege within such programming and to explore the notion of biliteracy as property. Drawing on critical and visual discourse analysis, this study analyzes SoBL policies and the visual seals themselves across 36 states. While the popularity of the seal represents a positive step toward recognizing multilingualism, we demonstrate how ceding authority to the state to delimit and award the seal reifies biliteracy as a form of property. We discuss how the SoBL can reinforce pre-existing inequities and the implications for awarding of the seal across various stakeholders.

Authors

• Chris K. Chang-Bacon, University of Virginia

• Soria Elizabeth Colomer, Oregon State University