Social transformation and liberating language education in challenging times: Southern voices and perspectives

Abstract This article approaches social transformation through a Freirean liberating perspective to address the challenges faced by language educators in our digital age. We are currently confronted with the adverse effects of neoliberal capitalism, misinformation, violence, human rights violations and environmental degradation. A critical, politically engaged (language) education seems increasingly necessary for fostering solidarity, global responsibility and radically transformative, distributed and affective agency. I also argue that, in these challenging times, such liberating premises are powerful for nurturing social change from a decolonial, southing or Southern standpoint. These premises lead us to the central question for this discussion: How can a critical and politically engaged Southern perspective nurture a liberating language education? To explore this complex question, transformative language education is linked to a decolonial perspective and a translingual enactive-performative viewpoint. Additionally, the basic principles of Freirean educational philosophy are outlined. To contextualise this discussion, a didactic project related to deaf education will be addressed. The proposed debate highlights that a critical and liberatory language education, experienced from a decolonial and translingual perspective, can provide a foundation for responsible and transformative praxis in our time.