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Article published In:
Language, Culture and Society
Vol. 5:1 (2023) ► pp.121–155

Lived experiences of coloniality in third space

From colonial to contemporary lusophone migration into Luxembourg

| University of Luxembourg
| University of Luxembourg
This paper discusses the interactions of the so-called lusophone migrants in ‘third space’ (Bhabha, 1994) i.e., outside the Portuguese geographical colonial matrix. Part of a larger project interested in studying whether new solidarities or old hierarchies replay when all lusophones meet and struggle in a new context, the paper examines traces of what Mignolo (2005) has termed of ‘coloniality of being’ i.e., everyday remnants of colonial modes and hierarchies. It draws from postcolonial theory and sociolinguistic ethnography to examine how coloniality perdures in intersubjective relations among lusophones, by exploring the narrative of two Cape Verdean retirees who (re)migrated to Luxembourg in 1971 and 1981. The paper uses narrative analysis to examine how they report coloniality in lusophone interactions being challenged or perpetuated at workplaces and social encounters, via stereotyping jokes, naming, and language use. It fosters a critical understanding of lusophone subjects’ interactions, marked by language and their colonial history, beyond Portuguese-speaking states.
Keywords: coloniality, interactions, lusophone, postcolonial, third space, workplace
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Lusophone migration into Luxembourg: Colonialism, race and citizenship
    • 2.1The term “lusophone”
    • 2.2Lusophone migration into Luxembourg
    • 2.3A presence rooted at the colonial intersection of race and citizenship
  • 3.Coloniality, race and language in a third space
  • 4.Methodology, participants and data
    • 4.1Data collection
    • 4.2Meet(ing) the research participants
    • 4.3Data analysis
  • 5.Narratives of lived experiences of coloniality in Luxembourg
    • 5.1Perpetuating the coloniality of being
      • 5.1.1Stereotyping and bad language
      • 5.1.2Joking about dressing modes
      • 5.1.3Contesting language choice
      • 5.1.4Invisibilizing at workplace
    • 5.2Challenging the coloniality of being
      • 5.2.1Imposing respect and speaking back
      • 5.2.2Using the language of authority
  • 6.Concluding discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 27 July 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lcs.00038.tav
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