Revealing the Resistant Capital of Cambodian Youth: Using Photovoice as a Tool for Advocacy and Policy Change

Abstract

This paper explores the use of Photovoice as a tool for uncovering or developing resistant capital (Yosso, 2005) with youth for language education policy change. Using data from a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) study on the relationships and tensions among the home, community, and school linguistic and social practices of emergent bilingual Cambodian youth in an urban district in the northeastern United States, I argue that the development of resistant capital depends on various contextual and demographic factors. The Cambodian youth, who have been educated in a recursive bilingual environment (García, 2009) and are involved in a youth-led community organization with a social justice focus demonstrate resistant capital, which was likely fortified through their work there. Suggestions are made for using Photovoice in schools to develop resistant capital for policy change with languageminoritized youth.