Mogadishu on the Mississippi
Language, Racialized Identity, and Education in a New Land

“In detailing the experiences of Somali youth in their settlement in the Twin Cities area, Bigelow draws on her work with non-literate young adults and her own community advocacy to suggest a path forward for young immigrants who face daunting challenges in coming to terms with their own sense of identity, as well as their mastery of western academic literacies. Bigelow’s work is an outstanding model of applied linguistics research.”
—Sandra L. McKay, Professor Emeritus, San Francisco State University

Martha H. Bigelow (Author), Lourdes Ortega (Series edited by)

9781444338744, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 22 October 2010

200 pages
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.1 cm, 0.281 kg

• Investigates the language learning, multiple literacy development, and schooling and community experiences of the Somali population in Minnesota - a community which is Muslim, refugee, and under-schooled
• Brings together five years of interdisciplinary research, drawing upon theories from the fields of applied linguistics, second language acquisition, education, and sociology
• Uses a range of epistemological frames to explore central and contemporary problems that tie language learning to racialized, religious, and gendered identities
• Argues for the centrality of socio-political contexts in language learning and for the integration of advocacy and research

Series Editor’s Foreword.

Acknowledgements.

Subject Areas: Language: reference & general [CB]