Spanish So White: Conversations on the Inconvenient Racism of a ‘Foreign’ Language Education

by Adam Schwartz

Explicit discussions of race and racial identity have traditionally been omitted from Spanish language education in the US – especially in curricula designed for imagined 'native' speakers of English. Consequences of this de-racialization of Spanish language learning include the perpetuation of institutional racisms and missed opportunities to build productive conversations about the ways race and power are enacted through language.  Spanish So White is written specifically for secondary and post-secondary teachers who identify as White and second language learners of Spanish. It supports the development of language education that centers a racially dynamic Spanish-speaking world and challenges interpersonal and institutional forms of racism. Author Adam Schwartz shares stories of his own socialization into Whiteness and Spanish-English bilingualism. He invites readers into the work of reconciling privileges they too may share as White Spanish-language learners and teachers.

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 10, 2023

Reviews

[Liz Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the premise and thought behind this book. The writing style was dry and it dragged a bit.

[Glen Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is interesting that of all the Spanish that I studied in secondary school and University levels, I give most of the credit for what Spanish language skills that I have to the neighborhood immigrant kids who brutally pushed me on my pronunciation and vocabulary. It was from them that I started to think and speak a language other than English–which was the only one I learned growing up at home. Yet, it was the same group of immigrant kids who spoke Spanish at home with parents, grandparents and friends, who struggled in the same Spanish class that I was in. Sure, I learned where to put diacritical marks like accent and tilde marks. But it didn't go deeper to the part of my brain that wanted to communicate with others. Living in an immigrant community and traveling in Spanish speaking countries were the motivating factors for language acquisition. I wish I had discovered this earlier so that I could have combined these processes for better learning.

Adam Schwartz makes several points about the way language is taught in the classroom in the United States that point out the inconvenient reality that the structure is based on racist presuppositions. Real learning seems to happen with empathy for the “other” and asking questions in the context of life and friendship.

I recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves teaching a language or learning to understand those who speak languages other than their own.