Translanguaging and Language Ideologies in Education: Northern and Southern Perspectives

Abstract

In this chapter we examine language ideologies as part of a translanguaging framework in education. We begin with an overview of the concept translanguaging, from its origins as a term in bilingual education in Wales to its development in research on multilingual classrooms mainly in the North American and British contexts. From there, translanguaging has spread as both a theoretical and pedagogical concept used by researchers and educators to approach linguistically and culturally diverse environments, in and outside of the classroom. Hence, the theoretical and pedagogical objectives have emerged side by side and enhanced one another. Employing a perspective based in critical pedagogy, we present and analyze empirical studies from different educational and political contexts to illustrate how ideologies are expressed through implicit and explicit policies in the classroom. The three foci include studies of translanguaging in the early years in continental Europe, in secondary schools in Scandinavia, and in higher education in South Africa. Many studies of translanguaging present examples of classroom practices in multilingual contexts and where English is often the majority/dominant language. However, our aim is not to examine the pedagogical practices per se but rather to explore the language ideologies made visible, negotiated and challenged through translanguaging in the selected studies. With a focus on translanguaging and language ideologies in education, the ways translanguaging may resist language hierarchies and monolingual norms, and instead promote social justice, become especially relevant. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the implications of such ideological stances in education.