English, Multilingualism, and Indigenous Education: A Critical Narrative Review from Indigenous and Amazonian Contexts
Inglés, multilingüismo y educación indígena: una revisión narrativa crítica desde contextos indígenas y amazónicos
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v7i2.5731Palabras clave:
multilingual education, indigenous education, english as a global language, additive and subtractive bilingualism, language policyResumen
This article offers an in-depth state-of-the-art review of international research on English in Indigenous and multilingual educational contexts, with a particular focus on Latin America and Amazonian territories. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship published between 2000 and 2024, the review systematically maps the theoretical traditions, empirical trends, methodological orientations, and conceptual tensions that have shaped this field over the past two decades. Anchored in critical sociolinguistics, theories of additive and subtractive bilingualism, translanguaging, and decolonial thought, the article conceptualizes English not as a neutral communicative tool but as a politically embedded semiotic resource whose effects are mediated by power relations, language ideologies, and epistemic hierarchies. Moving beyond descriptive synthesis, the review interrogates how Indigenous multilingualism has been framed in research, which voices and epistemologies have been legitimized, and which have been rendered marginal or invisible. The article advances a set of original conceptual contributions, including a decolonial reconceptualization of bilingualism, an epistemic reading of translanguaging, and the notion of English as an ambivalent linguistic resource. It concludes by proposing a robust research agenda aimed at strengthening Indigenous-led, community-based, and epistemically inclusive approaches to multilingual education. The article positions itself as a strategic reference for scholars, policymakers, and teacher educators working at the intersection of English, multilingualism, and Indigenous education.
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Derechos de autor 2026 Tamara Aylin Gallego Suarez, Jenny Catalina Loaiza Fuquen
Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución 4.0.
