Introduction to the special issue: On the transgressive nature of translanguaging pedagogies

Abstract

As translanguaging gains traction in language education, its political and ideological implications are becoming central considerations to researchers and practitioners. In this introductory article to the special issue, “Translingual and Multilingual Pedagogies” for the EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages, we provide a conceptual point of departure on the notion of translanguaging by revisiting Li Wei’s (2011) threefold description of its prefix trans- (i.e., transcending, transformative, transdisciplinary), which we expand by adding a new definitional element, transgressive, to reflect our understanding of translanguaging as politically charged and disruptive by virtue. We then move on to provide an overview of the articles and book reviews included in this special issue.