Political Ideology and Heritage Language Development in a Chilean Exile Community: a Multiple Case Study
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University of Alberta Political Ideology and Heritage Language Development in a Chilean Exile Community: A Multiple Case Study by Ava Becker A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics Modern Languages and Cultural Studies ©Ava Becker Spring 2013 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. 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Abstract Our current understanding of Spanish heritage language development (HLD) in the English-speaking world is largely restricted to non-refugee Hispanic groups in the United States (Potowski & Rothman, 2011). The present thesis addresses this gap by probing the relationship between the leftist political ideologies and “refugee culture” upon which Edmonton’s Chilean community was founded in the 1970s, and the HLD of four of its now-adult children. Data for this exploratory, qualitative, multiple case study were collected from a background questionnaire and two semi-structured interviews with each participant. The main finding was that participants’ identification with the community's prevailing political ideologies had a strong effect on their attitudes towards their ethnic heritage, community involvement, and Spanish use as adults. This study contributes to our understanding of Spanish HLD in Canada, and in refugee contexts that have a decidedly political history. Acknowledgements Several people contributed stories, ideas, and support to the creation of this thesis, but I would like to begin by thanking the families who agreed to participate in this study. Their memories and perspectives have provided me with a tremendous source of inspiration that I am certain will continue to do so for years to come. I am forever grateful to my supervisors, Dr. Yvonne Lam and Dr. Martín Guardado, whose patience and guidance at every stage of this project have made all the difference. I am indebted to Dr. Lam for encouraging my initial interest to pursue heritage language development research in such a rich community. Her wisdom and constructive criticism have challenged me and pushed my work to develop in unforeseen ways. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Guardado, whose kindness, mentorship, and unwavering belief in my potential have helped pull me through the more difficult moments and allowed me to savour the finer ones. Both of my supervisors have given me many tools that I will carry with me as I continue on my academic journey. I have no words to express the profound gratitude I have for my family, on both sides of the grave. You are my rock. I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the men and women who nominated this project to receive financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction …………………………………………………….......1 1.0 Chapter Introduction ………………………………………..…………….......1 1.1 Impetus for this Study …………………………………..…..…………….......1 1.1.1 Rationale ………………………………………..……………......................2 1.1.2 Chilean Refugees in the Diaspora ……………………………......................4 1.2 Research Questions ………………………………………..………………….6 1.3 Terminology ………………………………………..……………....................7 1.3.1 Heritage Bilingual ……………………………………………......................7 1.3.2 Heritage Language Development (HLD) …………………….......................8 1.4 My Position ………………………………………..…………….....................8 1.5 Organization of this Thesis ………………………………………..………...10 Chapter 2: Literature Review ……………………………………………........10 2.0 Chapter Introduction …………………………………………...………........10 2.1 Heritage Language Development, Shift, and Loss ………………………….11 2.1.1 The Value of Studying the HLD of Second Generation Adults…………...12 2.1.2 Shift and Heritage Bilingualism as a Life-Long Process ………………….15 2.2 Primary Factors that Influence HLD ………………………………………...16 2.2.1 The Family and HLD ……………………………………….......................17 2.2.2 Family and Community in the Hispanic Immigrant Context .......................17 2.2.3 Community and HLD ……………………………………………………...18 2.2.4 Defining Hispanic Culture outside of the United States…………………...19 2.2.5 Culture, Ethnic Identity, and HLD ………………………………………...21 2.3 Exiles and HLD ……………………………………………………………...26 2.3.1 Chilean Heritage Language and Identity Development in Sweden ….........27 2.3.2 Chilean Heritage Language and Identity Development in Australia ……...29 2.3.3 Sudanese Refugee Heritage Language and Identity Development in Australia …………………………………………………………………………30 2.4 Chapter Summary …………………………………………………………...31 Chapter 3: Method ………………………………………..……………………33 3.0 Chapter Introduction ………………………………………………………...33 3.1 Study Design ………………………………………………………………...33 3.1.2 Instruments and Procedure ………………………………………………...34 3.2 Participants …………………………………………………………………..36 3.2.1 Recruitment, Participant Selection, and Researcher Positionality ………...36 3.2.2 Participant Characteristics …………………………………………………38 3.3 Data Analysis ………………………………………………………………..39 3.3.1 Transcription ………………………………………………………………40 3.3.2 Articulateness ……………………………………………………………...41 3.3.3 Ethical Considerations …………………………………………………….42 3.4 Chapter Summary …………………………………………………………...42 Introduction to Chapters 4 & 5: The Activists…………………………..........44 Chapter 4: Victor Sandoval ……………………………………………….......45 4.1 Learning Identity, Learning Culture ………………………………………...45 4.2 Becoming Bilingual …………………………………………………………51 4.2.1 (Re)learning Spanish ………………………………………………………54 4.2.3 Conflicting Attitudes towards Spanish ……………………………………58 4.3 Multilingual Ideologies and Warrior Identities ……………………………...61 4.4 Going Home to Cuba ………………………………………………………..64 4.5 Chapter Summary …………………………………………………………...66 Chapter 5: Adriana Vega ……………………………………………………...67 5.1 Ideological Beginnings ……………………………………………………...67 5.2 Culture and Identity when “Back Home” is not Chile ………………………68 5.3 Adriana’s Bilingual Development …………………………………………..73 5.3.1 A Hol(e)y Language ……………………………………………………….74 5.3.2 “Eeeeeh-pañol!” at Abuelo’s: Spanish-Only Policies ……………………..76 5.3.3 “Some formal training” ……………………………………………………78 5.4 Spanish Language Attitudes …………………………………………………80 5.4.1 When Groovy is Dorky ……………………………………………………82 5.5 The Future of an Unexamined Spanish ……………………………………...83 5.5.1 Thinking About Maintenance “…and I don't know why!” ………………..85 5.6 Chapter Summary …………………………………………………………...87 Introduction to Chapters 6 & 7: The Non-Activists …………………………89 Chapter 6: Germán Sandoval …………………………………………………89 6.1 Chilean by Default: An Identity of Difference ……………………………...89 6.1.1 Feeling Difference, Making a Difference …………………………………92 6.2 Chilean Culture is not Necessarily Political ………………………………...93 6.3 Pragmatic Language Attitudes ………………………………………………96 6.4 The Bilingual Education Dilemma ………………………………………….99 6.4.1 “He’s an engineer now so he’s okay”: Language Maintenance in a Global Economy ………………………………….……………………………100 6.5 Chapter Summary ………………………………………….………………102 Chapter 7: Francesca