Social in/justice and the deficit foundations of oracy

Cushing, Ian

doi:10.1080/03054985.2024.2311134

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…As well as representing a flawed theory of justice, oracy also represents a flawed theory of language -for its original conception by white applied linguists in the 1960s relied on deficit framings which dichotomized the "language-poor" homes of racialized, disabled, and working-class children with the "language-rich" homes of white, able-bodied, middle-class children (Wilkinson, 1965). This flawed theory of change for social justice is readily reproduced by UK-based educational consultants and academics under the guises of societal progressivism and charitable benevolence (see Cushing, 2024). Yet these claims to the affirmation of marginalized children rely on them making changes to themselves and thus function as deceptive forms of stigmatization.…”

Section: Transformative Justice As a Methodology In Applied Linguisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative justice as a method in applied linguistics

Cushing

2024

Ann Rev Appl Linguist

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Transformative justice is a vision, a framework, and a theory of change which pushes for radical abolition and reimagining of entire systems. It is a community-led strategy which centers on and seeks to uproot structural determinants of oppression. In this article, I outline how applied linguistics can and should draw on transformative justice principles as a methodology for doing applied linguistics and as an underpinning theory of change for the discipline itself. I explore how transformative justice in applied linguistics involves addressing the colonial roots of the discipline and its complicity in perpetuating raciolinguistic ideologies and co-constituted discourses of linguistic deficiency. I argue for new conceptualizations of impact which prioritize community solidarity. I argue for applied linguists to end collaborations with the police, the military, and the prison industrial complex, showing how these collaborations rely on systems of punitive accountability and modest reforms. I argue that transformative justice is a life-affirming theory of change for the discipline of applied linguistics and for the marginalized communities we work with.

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Section: Transformative Justice As a Methodology In Applied Linguisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%