Developing a materialist anti-racist approach to language activism

The aim of this paper is to propose a materialist anti-racist approach to language activism. This approach combines Joshua Fishman's pioneering work on language activism with critical race theory and the recent materialist turn in applied linguistics. A materialist anti-racist approach to language activism, positions language policy within broader efforts to dismantle racial and economic inequities. Using the case study of bilingual education programs in the United States, this paper points to the importance of accounting for the various non-linguistic factors that play a role both in terms of access to education as well as the experiences of students. It is noted that a failure to account for these non-linguistics factors, may lead bilingual education programs to inadvertently contribute to the marginalization of minoritized communities.