Translanguaging in Multilingual Pre-Primary Classrooms in La Réunion: Reflecting on Inclusion and Social Justice in a French Postcolonial Context

Abstract

This chapter explores the strategies and ideologies of two teachers who, each in their own way, try to mobilize the languages of young plurilingual learners (aged 3-4 and 5-6) in a preschool situated in a marginalized area in La Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean and central hub of migration for families from neighbouring islands. We argue that translanguaging crossed with subaltern studies can be a powerful approach to deconstruct othering processes. Following this analysis, we propose a model for teacher education that includes three main objectives to rethink inclusion and social justice in a French post-colonial context.