Asian Americans in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education - (Bilingual Education & Bilingualism) (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book centers and amplifies the voices and complex lived experiences of Asian Americans in bilingual education. Employing critical theoretical frameworks such as AsianCrit, decoloniality, counterhegemonic and anti-racist pedagogies, it broadens understandings of multilingualism and challenges dominant narratives in education.

Book Synopsis

This book centers and amplifies the voices and complex lived experiences of Asian Americans in bilingual education. Drawing from the fields of bilingual education and ethnic studies, the chapters discuss language ideologies, anti-racist pedagogies, language loss and teacher and student experiences to explore how multilingualism is experienced distinctly by Asian Americans. Recognizing the heterogeneity within Asian American communities, the book highlights underrepresented Asian languages such as Hmong and Khmer and discusses both formal and informal education settings. It showcases a wide range of narratives and qualitative methodologies, employing critical theoretical frameworks such as AsianCrit, decoloniality, intersectionality, critical refugee, raciolinguistics, counterhegemonic pedagogies, humanization and transnationalism. As the first book fully dedicated to Asian American experiences in bilingual education, it broadens understandings of multilingualism and appeals to researchers, teacher educators and postgraduate students in applied linguistics, Asian American studies, higher education and bilingual education.

Review Quotes

This outstanding volume offers a multilayered and humanizing portrait of Asian/American experiences with bilingual education. Its critical lens is provocative, and its emancipatory approach inspiring. I expect it to become required reading in education and ethnic studies courses, and I hope policymakers and educators answer its call to reimagine bilingual education.-- "Elaine Chun, University of South Carolina, USA"

This unique collection interrupts the silences constructed around Asian Americans to deliberately obscure their complexities, multilingual identities, and geographic/national/ethno-diversities, and render them invisible. It creates a space for untold Asian American stories to be heard as these courageous scholars speak their lives - in the ways they choose - into existence. An essential resource for anyone seeking authenticity and truth.-- "A. Lin Goodwin, Boston College, USA"

This timely volume powerfully amplifies the long-silenced voices of Asian/American scholars in bilingualism and bilingual education. Having long witnessed these omissions in the field, I found its insights both urgent and affirming. It offers transformative possibilities for research, pedagogy, and policy, and is a vital resource for reimagining bilingual education through a more inclusive and justice-oriented lens.-- "Guofang Li, University of British Columbia, Canada"

About the Author

Khánh Lê is Assistant Professor of Multilingualism and English Education at Queens College, CUNY, USA. His research spans critical refugee studies, Asian American studies, bilingual education, translanguaging and transtrauma.

Zhongfeng Tian is Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at Rutgers University-Newark, USA. His research focuses on translanguaging, Chinese-English bilingual education and multilingual teacher education grounded in social justice praxis. He serves on the editorial boards of leading journals including TESOL Quarterly, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism and International Multilingual Research Journal.

Alisha Nguyen is Assistant Professor of Bilingual and Special Education at Lesley University, USA. Her work focuses on early childhood education, anti-racist pedagogies and family and community engagement.

Trish Morita-Mullaney is Professor at Purdue University, USA. Her research is framed by critical language, critical race and feminist theories; she employs a variety of methods to accomplish these aims. She uses participatory and constructivist methods with participants, as they unpack, critique and analyze their orientations towards emergent bilinguals and multilingualism.