Construcción de identidad racial en los estudiantes de inglés como segunda lengua en el contexto colombiano

Abstract

This is an interinstitutional project between the research group ESTUPOLI of the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (UDFJC) and the Linguistics group of the ICC. The project seeks to explore the connections that may exist between second language learning and the configuration of racial identities of English language learners as LE (exploration led by the UDFJC researcher), and Spanish as LE/L2 (exploration led by the ICC researcher). This is an issue which, although it may have major implications for language teaching and learning practices in our country, has been taken for granted and has remained unexplored. Therefore, this project seeks to problematize the notion of racial identity by analyzing it as a relevant factor that is also affected by language learning processes. For the present exploration, we propose to follow a qualitative methodology that allows us to theorize about how social and cultural practices influence the identity formation of individuals while the learning of a second language is at stake. It will do the analysis of the construction of racial identities through narratives (written and oral) produced by the participants in the study. It is hoped that this project will contribute to a more inclusive view of the language learning process where learners are subjects who are affected by social structures, whose identities can be rectified or transformed during the learning process.