Abstract: This talk deals with the concept of Spanish as a Heritage Language from a double perspective. Firstly, we will focus on the notion of SHL from a linguistic and sociolinguistic point of view, exploring to what extent an ideological conceptualisation based on the perception of "deficit" and "language gap" may undermine the purpose of inclusivity evoked by school practices and policymaking in an increasingly diverse Europe. We will then move on to analyse some practical aspects, derived from observations on the field, in order to open a discussion with the participants on the role of Spanish as a Heritage Language in contemporary Europe and on the opportunity to rethink a virtuous theoretical-practical combination between pedagogy and sociolinguistics that can contribute to disrupt the old linguistic reproduction of racialization and social inequalities and open new directions toward truly “multilingual” societies.

Milin Bonomi is Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics and Translation at University of Milan (Italy). She holds a PhD in Linguistics (Sociolinguistics) from University of Pisa (Italy). Her research focuses on the interplay of language and migration from different perspectives, with particular attention to discursive and identity practices of transnational Hispanic population in Italy and the role of Spanish as a minority and heritage language in educational settings. She has authored different contributions on these topics in national and international contexts. Among her publications is the book Mestizos globales. Transnacionalismo y prácticas discursivas en la población hispana en Italia (2018). Her theoretical and methodological approach is transdisciplinary and encompasses sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, linguistic anthropology while also engaging the fields of cultural and social studies, education and language policy.