'And the linguistic minorities suffer what they must?: a review of conflicts in curriculum theory through the lenses of language teacher education

Abstract

This review builds on João Paraskeva’s proposal for the development of an Itinerant Curriculum Theory (ICT), to analyse how his contributions advance the conversation on the need to deterritorialize the received field in curriculum studies and in teacher education. The subtractive forms of education that are imposed on bilingual/bicultural students and how (language) teacher education is (not) properly addressing them will be used to illustrate the relevance of Paraskeva’s work in providing the required critical lenses. In his contention for the need to reconceptualise the field of curriculum studies and teacher education, he addresses two key-concepts that are used in this text to analyse second language education and (language) teacher education with a focus on Portugal: the concept of curriculum epistemicides and the concept of epistemic colonization. Acknowledging their pervasive effects in reinforcing educational forms that severely limit the emancipatory goals of second language education and in the way teachers are prepared, this review also discusses the way teachers and students resist, oppose, and even subvert oppressive official discourses and practices, in order to create their own counterhegemonic alternatives. If used to advance the agenda for transformative and emancipatory education for bicultural and bilingual students in public schooling contexts, Paraskeva’s ICT informs, complements, and constitutes a significant contribution to move forward the concatenated fields of critical multicultural education, bicultural education, and bilingual/ multilingual education for global justice.