“Calling a Black person betún [black shoe polish] is out of love”: questioning the school’s Racial Grammar

Abstract

ABSTRACT This is a qualitative case study about the Racial Grammar (RG) in a School in Cali, Colombia. We critically interrogate the naturalized elements of the school racial system and show how they are organized, combined, and normalized as the daily standards of school functioning. Data about the school was collected in different spaces: aisles, classrooms, gym, library, offices, and playground. Drawing on black critical theories, we examine how the school’s racial grammar establishes the rules for correctness and for who can(not) speak on racial matters, and how students and staff respond to those shallow and profound racial structures. Findings suggest that the RG’s logic and profound structure are materialized through language, re-produced in social interactions, but also questioned for re-signifying identities. This RG shapes curriculum, instruction, and therefore Black students’ experiences in the school system.