Indigenous Literatures and Languages in the Americas: Translanguaging and Education in Global Contexts

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The international team involved in this network will examine aspects of linguistic and cultural hybridity in different indigenous communities of the Americas that engage with today's global languages: French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. The aim is to bring together experts on indigenous literatures, translation theory, historians, educational specialists, indigenous educators, writers and community leaders to 1) develop a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural understanding of the relationship between indigenous literatures and these global hegemonic languages and 2) devise pedagogical strategies to employ this literature in order to combat the erosion of indigenous cultures and knowledges. Through a series of symposiums and workshops the network will produce practical and flexible teaching methodologies that will help shape the teaching curriculums of indiegnous schools in Colombia, the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Brazil. In the long-term we aim to influence local and national educational policies in these countries.While studies abound on the hybrid character of indigenous literatures written in the dominant languages of the Americas, very little has been done how these types of texts can inform educational contexts and strategies. We aim to fill this gap by combining the theories of postcolonial translation and translanguaging with the educational approaches of creativities theory and critical pedagogy and the expert knowledge of indigenous teachers. According to postcolonial theory the act of translating texts from a subaltern language to that of the dominant culture usually results in the production of an 'other'. By bringing together historical experts on indigenous societies, indigenous literatures and translation theory in a two-day colloquium, we will identify the ways in which the power relations between indigenous peoples and the discourses of colonialism and modernity continue to influence such 'self' translations into 'accepted' and 'expected' representations of indigenous cultures. On the other hand, the theory of translanguaging has challenged this standpoint by proposing that linguistic, symbolic and philosophical aspects can be transferred from one language to another. The team will also examine, therefore, the possibility that indigenous writers are able to decolonise the four major languages by translating through the ideological and linguistic barriers in order to articulate codes and symbols that express meanings that stem from the respective indigenous cultures. The network will then explore how these new perspectives on indigenous literatures of the Americas can contribute to the field of indigenous education studies and indigenous schools. In a conference panel in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association in North America we will share the knowledge accrued in the colloquium with educational studies experts, indigenous leaders and indigenous educators. The aim is to debate the ways in which this type of literature can be used in educational contexts, focusing on its potential to 1) educate students on the discursive positions imposed on indigenous communities and, therefore, enable them politically, and 2) educate indigenous students at risk of becoming culturally disenfranchised from their traditions and knowledges. The panel will promote an exchange of ideas between the knowledge of indigenous educators and academic experts of critical pedagogy and creativities theory. The outcomes of this collaboration will be employed in educational workshops in indigenous schools in La Guajira, Colombia. A report informed by this experience will also be prepared for schools in the other countries mentioned above. It will also be disseminated via an interactive multilinguistic website for researchers and indigenous teachers and students, and a multi-authored book that will provide a holistic vision of the benefits and risks of employing literature in educational contexts.