Abstract Summary
In this paper, we reflect on how we ‘re-imagine multilingualism’ through a series of workshops using a range of decolonial, multimodal pedagogies. We argue that multilingualism can be seen as a set of continuously negotiated relations of self and other, situated within and shaped by the particular context
Abstract :
Contemporary theories of multilingualism conceptualise it as a fluid and dynamic process as speakers draw on the range of their linguistic resources. In this paper, we take this further and argue that multilingualism can be seen as a set of continuously negotiated relations of self and other, situated within and shaped by the particular context. We draw on our experiences of a collaborative project, an inter-institutional post graduate module, which attempted to ‘re-imagine multilingualism’ through a series of workshops using a range of decolonial, multimodal pedagogies (e.g. arts-based, creative writing, narrated walking). What proved seminal to shifting the perspectives of all participants was the heightened awareness of the self in relation to others, which was triggered by the movement between two very different campuses. Although both are located in the geographical south, they have very different histories and constituencies: one, historically black and more marginal; the other, historically white and more elite. This paper reflects on how this mobility opened up a space for participants to think ‘otherwise’ about themselves and their linguistic repertoires. The data include posters and notes prepared by students in which they drew on their combined experiences of the module to ‘re-imagine multilingualism’. It also includes theoretical reflection from the three facilitators, who argue that when viewed through a decolonial lens, and the emerging conceptual framework of Linguistic Citizenship, multilingualism can be described as the continual negotiation of relations though various semiotics means between different ‘bodies’ located in time and space, all with particular histories, desires, fears, and hopes, which influence what is heard and said, and how people read and respond to each other. It concludes by considering the implications of this conceptualisation for language policy, learning and teaching in higher education.
