Decentering Whiteness in the Foreign Language Classroom: An Urgent Institutional Call

• In Event: Confronting and Decentering Whiteness in the Development of Social Justice Educators

Abstract

While most of the research on K–12 foreign language focuses on literacy, relatively little is known about the relationship between teachers’ practices and students’ multicultural knowledge in suburban schools. To fill the gap, this research investigates teacher-student-curricular interactions, critically analyzing how minoritized cultures are taught and learned in this context. Results from ethnographic data reveal that, despite students’ interests in learning more in depth about culture, teachers often overlook power issues, promoting instead: a) the racialization of non-white cultures; b) silencing histories of violence towards racialized communities; c) the lack of collaboration amongst stakeholders. This study offers several recommendations for schools seeking to decenter hegemonic whiteness, and thus construct healthier sociocultural realities in and beyond the foreign language classroom.

Author

• Rocío Sánchez Ares, Tufts University