Teaching Languages Talk Series: Pluralistic approaches in Mexico: decolonizing language learning, decolonizing research

Join UFV Modern Languages on the first panel of the Teaching Languages Talk Series!

On this panel, Dr. Despagne will share her insights on language teaching and language research as well as present her book “Decolonizing Language Learning, decolonizing research: a critical ethnography study in a Mexican university.”

Note from the guest speaker:

In this talk, I will partly present my book “Decolonizing Language Learning, decolonizing research: a critical ethnography study in a Mexican university” by exploring the socio-political dynamics, historical forces, and unequal power relationships which mediate language ideologies in Mexican higher education settings, shedding light on the processes by which minority students learn new languages in post-colonial contexts.

Drawing on data from a critical ethnographic case study of a Mexican university over several years, I will turn a critical lens on language learning autonomy and the use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in post-colonial higher education settings, and advocate for an approach to the language learning and teaching process which takes minority language learners’ cultural heritage and localized knowledge into account.

I will also highlight the importance of critical approaches to encourage the equitable treatment of diverse cultures and languages and the development of agency in minority language learners. Finally, I will showcase a unique research methodology which underpins the data, integrating participatory methods such as Interpretative Focus Groups in an attempt to decolonize research by engaging and involving participants in the analysis of the data.

Dr. Colette Despagne’s bio:

Colette Despagne is a professor and researcher at the Research Institute in Social Sciences and Humanities at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Mexico. She belongs to the Mexican National Research Council. She holds a master’s degree in teaching French as a Foreign Language from the Université Le Mans in France and a PhD in Educational Linguistics from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

She has published in several languages in several international journals. Her main research focus is on language, power, and identity in the Mexican context where she works with Indigenous peoples and return migrants from the United States to Mexico.

Link to join:

https://ufv-ca.zoom.us/j/67317659295?pwd=eUR6UmVIZE55YkJXSXdzd2RqZ1JOZz09

Meeting ID: 673 1765 9295
Passcode: 837350
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For more information, contact Paulyene Canedo at paulyene.canedo@ufv.ca

10/14/2021