Toward an Anticolonial World Language Curriculum with LJ Randolph
I turn our attention to the curriculum as a site of activism, as it is a space that reflects the content, voices, perspectives, competencies, and skills that we value and deem worthy of instruction. Although national, state, and local language curriculums often broadly allude to concepts of diversity, cultures, and communities as integral components of a language education, the framing of and focus on proficiencies and competencies reflect a coloniality that is steeped in capitalist pursuits and marketplace ideologies. I argue that anticolonial, abolitionist perspectives enable us to reimagine what the purpose of a language education is, who a language education is for, and what successful language learning entails. I draw upon familiar frameworks such as The World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages and the ACTFL-NCSSFL Can-Do Statements to demonstrate how these pedagogies can also support language proficiency goals across a variety of levels.
