Decolonizing Translanguaging: Empowering Marginalized Discourse through Reconstructive Analysis

• In Event: Decolonizing Language and Literacy Research through Reconstructive Discourse Analysis

Proposal

This presentation aims to introduce Reconstructive Discourse Analysis as a decolonial research approach that challenges dominant structures and unveils hidden authenticity within discourse. By proposing a reconstructive analysis model alongside traditional deconstructive approaches, this study seeks to enrich the discourse analysis discipline and shed light on alternate dimensions within discursive contexts.



The premise of this paper is that discourse is continuously constructed and reproduced, leading to multiple interpretations without definitive meanings. Discourse analysis deconstructs the plurality of meaning while establishing interpretative frameworks within social circumstances. To take this further, Reconstructive Analysis (Carspecken, 2008) is introduced to make visible the sociocultural and power relational contexts that shape discursive hegemony. This enables deconstruction of discursive contexts and exploration of alternate dimensions, thereby reconstructing the underlying concept.



Applying Reconstructive Discourse Analysis, the presentation will de-westernize the concept of "translanguaging" by examining two Chinese concepts, "通九蕃语" (tōng jiǔ fān yǔ) and "解六蕃译" (jiě liù fān yì), dating back over 1000 years. These concepts describe how the Sogdians, a Central Asian Iranian people, mastered various languages and acted as interpreters for the Tang government along the Silk Roads. Literature around the term translanguaging, including the origin, definitions, interpretations, implications, and so on, would be collected and analyzed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the context. Additionally, I will collect the interpretations of the Chinese concept from various dictionaries, to demonstrate how the meanings developed through the years. By comparing these unique Chinese perspectives on interlingual connections with the western discourse on translanguaging, the study aims to emphasize negotiation, mediation, and the creation of new dimensions in human interactions.



Discourse analysis critically examines taken-for-granted knowledge and social processes in various contexts. However, Reconstructive Analysis takes it a step further by revealing underlying layers of discourse through culturally contingent know-how. By applying this approach to the concept of translanguaging, the presentation seeks to deconstruct hierarchies within the concept and add dimensions that acknowledge the perspectives of racialized minority communities. Through this process, new experiences and meanings of translanguaging can be unveiled, uncovering hidden ideologies and opening up possibilities for a de-westernized understanding of the discourse.



In alignment with the conference theme “The Power of Protest,” this presentation will showcase how Reconstructive Discourse Analysis can empower voices that have been marginalized within prevailing discourse. By challenging dominant structures and recognizing eastern cultural perspectives, this presentation fosters a comprehensive understanding of the underlying epistemologies within the concept of translanguaging, aiming to disrupt and reshape the discourse landscape.

Author

• Sitong Wang, McGill University