2007 Reviews

Language, Space, and Power: A Critical Look at Bilingual Education

Weber, Anne C.

Through the close analysis of and critical discussion surrounding a fifth-grade dual-immersion classroom, Hadi-Tabassum explores the often inequitable role of language in the classroom. In her critical ethnographic study entitled Language, Space and Power: A Critical Look at Bilingual Education, young learners of both Spanish and English are observed as they engage themselves in various classroom tasks and metalinguistic discussions. Based on the ethnographic observation, parallels are drawn between such concepts as identity, language, and power. As a result, Hadi-Tabassum is able to explore what she deems the third space, a space where awareness focuses upon a desire to overcome linguistic borders and boundaries. Through an emphasis upon discourse rather than language acquisition, the author shows how conflicts over language use and the mediation of these conflicts arise.