Rethinking Expertise: Creating a Decolonial Space in a University Setting by Broadening (and Sometimes Narrowing!) Who We Think Knows What
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| Title: | Rethinking Expertise: Creating a Decolonial Space in a University Setting by Broadening (and Sometimes Narrowing!) Who We Think Knows What |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Ignacio L. Montoya (ORCID |
| Source: | Language Documentation & Conservation. 2024 18:176-198. |
| Availability: | National Foreign Language Resources Center at University of Hawaii. Department of Linguistics, UHM Moore Hall 569, 1890 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822. Fax: 808-956-9166; e-mail: ldc@hawaii.edu; Web site: https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/ldc/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Expertise, Decolonization, Universities, Courses, Curriculum Development, Course Descriptions, Curriculum Implementation, Language Minorities, Indigenous Knowledge, Language Maintenance, American Indian Languages, Second Language Instruction, Community Involvement, Indigenous Populations, Space Classification, Educational Facilities, Faculty, Community Leaders, College Students, Tribes, Student Attitudes, American Indian Students |
| Geographic Terms: | Nevada (Reno) |
| ISSN: | 1934-5275 |
| Abstract: | This paper focuses on the development, planning, and implementation of Numu (Northern Paiute) language classes at the University of Nevada, Reno. The authors' engagement with the Numu classes as well as the description and analysis presented in this paper are guided by principles of decolonization, language reclamation, and community-based research. Our analysis is based on participant observation, informal discussions with the instructor and other community members, and interviews with students. The primary claims of the paper are (1) that because an Indigenous elder has the autonomy to teach the classes however he sees fit, the Numu classes have created a decolonial space at the university, and (2) that a rethinking of expertise has been critical to this creation of a decolonial space within a colonial context. The findings from our study inform a broader understanding of how universities can provide spaces for decolonization, how community-based linguistic projects can be more attuned to community needs and interests, and how broadening notions of expertise can help disrupt the replication of colonial structures. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Access URL: | https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74805 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1458088 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper focuses on the development, planning, and implementation of Numu (Northern Paiute) language classes at the University of Nevada, Reno. The authors' engagement with the Numu classes as well as the description and analysis presented in this paper are guided by principles of decolonization, language reclamation, and community-based research. Our analysis is based on participant observation, informal discussions with the instructor and other community members, and interviews with students. The primary claims of the paper are (1) that because an Indigenous elder has the autonomy to teach the classes however he sees fit, the Numu classes have created a decolonial space at the university, and (2) that a rethinking of expertise has been critical to this creation of a decolonial space within a colonial context. The findings from our study inform a broader understanding of how universities can provide spaces for decolonization, how community-based linguistic projects can be more attuned to community needs and interests, and how broadening notions of expertise can help disrupt the replication of colonial structures. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-5275 |
