"We Speak Spanish [Here]": Resisting English Hegemony in a First-Grade Dual-Language Arizona Classroom

• In Event: Language, Policy, and Resistance: Negotiating Linguistic Preservation and Integration in U.S. and Canadian Schools

Abstract

This paper examines how a first-grade dual-language classroom in Southern Arizona serves as a counter-cultural space where Spanish is privileged despite policies and a sociopolitical context that privilege English at the expense of other languages. Analyses of interview and participant observation data demonstrate that students articulated counter-hegemonic language ideologies that valorized Spanish use, while simultaneously embodying dominant language ideologies in using English with peers. To counteract these dominant language ideologies, the teacher prioritized using Spanish with students to create a space that encouraged and expected Spanish use. This research contributes to scholarship that examines classrooms as sites of counter-cultural practice and showcases the possibility of navigating a restrictive policy context while preserving students’ linguistic and cultural practices.

Author

• Neida Basheer Ahmad, Stanford University
  Presenting Author