Toward a decolonial approach to language socialization

Abstract

In this chapter, we outline a decolonial approach to language socialization, which pays attention to the role that languages, both of the colonizer and of the colonized, play in the socialization of colonial and decolonial subjectivities. We first articulate a definition of decoloniality that treats colonization as rooted in the violent suppression of the epistemologies of the colonized and examine how the teaching of colonial languages is implicated in the process of creating colonial subjects. We then look at the history of language socialization and its similarities with decolonialism, specifically its emphasis on the connection between linguistic and cultural acquisition and studies of dynamic socialization in colonized territories. We propose a framework for decolonial language socialization, using the Philippines’ history of English language education and postcolonial language policy as a case study for our framework’s application. Finally, we reflect on potential shortcomings but reiterate the necessity of integrating language socialization research with decolonial perspectives to advance the liberation of the colonized.