Decolonizing translanguaging research methodologies: A commentary and self-reflection

Abstract

This article discusses translanguaging methodologies from a decolonial perspective. Drawing on tangsing, I have argued that the research methodologies to investigate translanguaging should not only push linguistic boundaries but also question the relevance of Western/colonial research methods that reproduce linguistic insecurity and epistemic inequality for Indigenous and racialized/ethnic minority communities. My claim is that translanguaging methodologies should not just pay attention to “collecting” language practices, they should also be concerned with visibilizing the epistemologies and epistemic positionalities of the people that translanguage to respond to unequal linguistic environments across spaces.