CES2E8-Language race and colonialism

Cristina has international experience teaching in formal and informal spaces in Japan and in Canada. She was born in Trinidad and is the first woman in the family pursuing a Ph.D. We discussed how the English language has been used for domination and control but also shaped the way we think in a capitalist society. Mainly, these mentalities stem from colonization. To this, Cristina explains how colonialism is very different depending on the contexts, however, there are some patterns that help us understand what happens to the local languages, cultures and knowledges and what counts and what is being valued or not. We engaged in conversations around questioning why some people denigrate local languages and cultures in order to behave and speak properly to fit in this society and be perceived as more intelligent so they can move socially. While mastering English may be practical and gives us power, multilingualism helps us understanding other human beings and other modes of understating the world, and it allows personal and societal transformation. We finish our talk by discussing how decolonization is not only in psychological, material terms but an intentional practice about actions to challenge and change systems on a daily basis. Bio: Cristina Sherry Jaimungal is a scholar pursuing her PhD in Social Justice Education and Comparative, International, and Development Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Anchored in critical language studies, anti-colonial theory, anti-racism studies, and decolonial praxis, Jaimungal examines the colonial enterprise of English language education. Sources: *Cheuk, F., and Jaimungal, C.S. (March 2018). Paper Presentation “Unsettling Tongues and Tones: Fleshing Out the Colonial Reproduction of English Language Education”. Paper presented at the 2018 Comparative International Education Society Conference, March (25-29), 2018, Mexico City, Mexico. *Dei, G. J. S., & Jaimungal, C. (Eds.). (2018). Indigeneity and Decolonial Resistance: Alternatives to Colonial Thinking and Practice. Stylus Publishing, LLC. *Lippi-Green, R. (2012). English with an accent: Language, ideology and discrimination in the United States. Routledge. *Lordan, M., George, J., & Dei, S. (Eds.). (2016). Anti-colonial theory and decolonial praxis. Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers. *Motha, S. (2014). Race, empire, and English language teaching: Creating responsible and ethical anti-racist practice. Teachers College Press. Cite this podcast (APA): Ortega, Y. (Producer). (2019, December 18). CES2E9 – Language, Race, and Colonialism [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/chasingencounters/ces2e8-language-race-and-colonialism