Abstract

GARZON-DUARTE, Eliana  and  POSADA-ORTIZ, Julia. “I’m not Illegal; I’m a Professional”: Self-Identification of Colombian Teachers in the USA. Enunciación [online]. 2023, vol.28, n.1, pp.116-129.  Epub Nov 24, 2023. ISSN 0122-6339.  https://doi.org/10.14483/22486798.19820.

This article results from a qualitative research study conducted with 20 language teachers born and academically trained in Colombia who are employed in public schools in the United States. Its main objective was to explore and interpret these teachers’ self-identification and their perception in a country that was recently permeated by former president Donald Trump’s controversial discourse on migration. The group of participants responded to an online questionnaire and a Skype interview. The data analysis was carried out through a process of coding and grouping of common patterns in the responses. The results show that colonial thinking persists in society and reveals the symbolic borders of inequality. Similarly, social positions allow individual identities and a sense of belonging to be negotiated and self-perceptions of the being to be constructed.

Keywords : native English-speaking teachers; non-native English-speaking teachers; language teaching; identity; teacher education.

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