Dear Colleagues,
Stanton Wortham (UPenn, Education) and Tony Berkley (UMich, Anthro)
are putting together a panel for AERA '99 on language ideology and
education. In recent years linguistic anthropologists have made
considerable advances in the study of linguistic ideologies and their social
implications. We hope to develop a symposium for AERA '99 on how
this work on linguistic ideology can be applied to educational issues. If
you are doing work on a related topic and would like to participate, please
respond to Tony at aberkley who-is-at umich.edu. If at all possible, please respond
by July 14th.
AERA '99 will be held April 19-23 in Montreal, Quebec. The theme is
"On the threshold of the 21st Century." For non-members, on site
registration for 1998 was $43. The deadline for proposals is August 3,
1998.
Ideologies of language involve more or less accurate beliefs about how
language works and about how linguistic forms (vocabulary, accents,
dialects, languages) correlate with social groups (classes, races, ethnicities).
As the recent controversies surrounding bilingual education attest, these
issues frequently turn upon contrasting ideas about how language connects
with identity, social mobility, and political community.
We invite participation from scholars and practitioners interested in the
roles played by language ideology in education both inside and outside the
classroom, in the US and internationally. Relevant work might address
issues like: How do language ideologies contribute to the shape of
classroom interactions? How do linguistic ideologies constrain learning in
particular contexts? What role do language ideologies play in grading,
tracking or matriculation? How do they shape conceptions of "the educated
person" and the ways in which social capital is deployed? Why do
language ideologies appear so frequently in educational debates? What are
the unintended consequences of reforms in which ideologies of language
have contributed to pedagogical change?
The notion that speaking one language is an important condition for
national unity is a language ideology which historically has played a major
role in the development of educational systems. Ideologies of language are
also subtle though no less central factors in shaping classroom interactions.
Research on classroom interactions has demonstrated how ideological
evaluations influence the interpretation of speech, often to the detriment of
minority students. But language ideologies can also be found as active
ingredients in empowering pedagogies. Language revitalization, for
example, has its basic justification in the ideological notion that one
language equals one culture. Innovative pedagogies shaped by a
commitment to dialogue, reflexive awareness, or expressive literacy are
similarly ideological and may have unintended consequences worth
exploring.