Language Loss, Fear, and Complications: A Multi-Ethnographic Exploration of Possibilities for Anticolonial Praxis

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: SIG-Decolonial, Postcolonial, and Anticolonial Studies in Education Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

As a group of interracial, interdisciplinary scholars from Canada, we share our experiences as educators of colonial languages who strive to be anticolonial. Using a multiethnographic methodology (Schmor et al., 2023), we ask: (how) can we be anticolonial when we continue to use and prioritize colonial languages to the detriment of Indigenous ones? We critically reflect on our experiences, emotions, and tensions surrounding critical work within language instruction and research. Our work is framed by Black Canadian feminism (Wane, 2013), raciolinguistics (Rosa & Flores, 2017), and settler colonial resistance (Rice et al., 2022). We present excerpts of our recorded conversation, focusing on experiences of language loss, fear of missteps, and the complications around anticoloniality while teaching colonial languages.

Authors

• Sonia Martin, York University

• Marika Kunnas, York University

• Shayna Brissett-Foster, York University