Social Justice in the linguistics classroom

Abstract

 In the current political and social climate, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice initiatives in higher education face pushback and at times abolition. Educators within the field of linguistics face a paradox: vulnerability of the classroom versus the fundamental duty to promote linguistic and social justice. This organized session aimed to support community and coalition building, helping linguists build capacity to engage in the work of linguistic and social justice through their teaching. The session was structured into four areas: diversity and inclusion, justice and equity, resistance and response, and lifelong learning and engagement. The first session introduced strategies for decentering English and Euro-Western narratives through a scaffolded indigenous languages project. The second session discussed how to shift classroom practices towards indigenous data sovereignty and collaborative praxis, as illustrated by an urban fieldwork model that empowers community experts and students as co-investigators. The third session detailed practical interventions for navigating both student and institutional pushback, offering a roadmap for maintaining momentum. The last session offered methods for applying linguistic analysis of linguistic landscapes, encouraging students to recognize and challenge marginalization within their own communities. Throughout these sessions a theme emerged of centering the humanity of language and the core values underlying the field of linguistics, all of which create opportunities to further social justice through linguistics education.