From the Field to the Cancha

Reimagining (Language) Education as a Collective Endeavor

Resumen

This paper, bringing together perspectives from education and medicine, foregrounds how gatekeeping practices within (language) education counter the missions of bilingual education at large and dual language bilingual education while contributing to the promotion of systemic oppression. Drawing on Bourdieu’s conceptualizations and through unpacked personal and broader structural experiences, we explicate how the field of language education contains systemic gatekeeping via limiting bilingual program access based on disability status or perceived linguistic deficiencies. Through socialization and schooling practices, marginalized individuals internalize and reproduce gatekeeping despite seeking greater access. We propose shifting towards “goalkeeping,” emphasizing cross-linguistic coalition-building and collective responsibility. Integrating theories of critical consciousness and identity safety, we surface reasons why (language) educators focused on critical consciousness want the particularly attentive gatekeeping practices in order to create more just educational spaces.