Latino/a Voices in Australia: Negotiating Bilingual Identity

Abstract

In Australia, bilingual identity and home language retention/attrition in bilingual children has had little research attention. This is particularly true in the early years of life where identity construction emerges in the context of early childhood education. This article begins with an overview of the Australian context to focus attention on the limited provision of bilingual support in early childhood settings. By drawing on the work in identity and hybridity negotiation, the ‘voices' of six Latin American parents are discussed to show how identities are negotiated and intersect with language retention within the social fields of ‘race’, ethnicity and gender differences. Three emerging themes are highlighted: the diversity of the parents' experiences in negotiating identity and language retention in family life; the parents' experiences of identity as multiple; and identity as a site of transformation and struggle in child rearing and gendered family practices. These findings demonstrate the significance of parents' perspectives and experiences of identity and language retention in raising their children bilingually, which can inform equitable and innovative practices in the provision of bilingual support in early childhood settings. In conclusion, the author invites early childhood educators to reframe their understandings of identity construction in young bilingual children.