Translanguaging at the Islamic center of New Mexico: A phenomenological study with the Imam and center worshippers

Abstract

In the last few decades, a novel term has emerged within the scope of bilingualism, most remarkably in the field of bilingual education – translanguaging. Notably, studies on the use of translanguaging by bilingual students have naturally been attracted to possible teaching strategies for classroom settings. However, this research is designed to investigate the effectiveness of translanguaging outside the classroom environment. This qualitative phenomenological study is conducted to investigate the impact of the Imam’s translanguaging at the Islamic Center of New Mexico (ICNM) on the comprehension of Arabic and non-Arabic speakers. The Imam of the Centre and three worshippers from within the Muslim community are the study participants, and their relationships and interactions are considered from the perspective of differential power dynamics. The data have been collected by conducting four interviews at the ICNM. Findings revealed that Imam's translanguaging during the Friday sermons using his first language repertoire includes actions like raising his hand and using many Islamic expressions during the preaching. The findings also show that worshipers did not prefer translanguaging and considered it ineffective in Friday sermons. The research results contribute towards augmenting our understanding of the controversial term, translanguaging, especially outside of classroom settings.