Etiquetar la diversidad

La patologización de la diferencia en el alumnado con diversidad cultural y lingüística

Bibliographic Data

ID21382385
AuthorsMaria-Antonietta Chieppa (0000-0002-8121-702X, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Marta Sandoval Mena (0000-0003-1931-1872, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Marta Sandoval (0000-0001-6813-6623, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Alfredo J Artiles (0000-0001-5772-0787, Stanford University)
Year2026
Volume84
Issue294
Publication date2026-04-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRevista Española de Pedagogía (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-9461 • E-ISSN: 2174-0909
PublisherUniversidad Internacional de La Rioja (PUBLISHER • ES)
DOI10.9781/rep.2026.699
OpenAlexW7159866274
LanguageEN
References cited32

This article reports on an educational ethnography conducted in a school located in a multicultural neighborhood of Barcelona. The study examines local factors contributing to the disproportionate placement of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education. It draws on Disability Critical Race Theory—which argues that notions of ability and race are co-constructed within an ideology of normality—and on the concept of DefectCraft (Author, 2023), which illuminates how institutional practices assign and naturalize deficits to historically marginalized groups. Using participant observation, document analysis, and interviews with twelve school leaders, teachers, and social and psycho-pedagogical professionals, the research explores how categories of cultural difference and ability intersect in institutional discourses and practices. Findings reveal an ethnocentric conception of ability that pathologizes cultural difference, framing it as a social marker of disability and addressing it through a form of “benevolent coloniality” that positions special education as a mechanism of restorative justice. However, this use of special education frequently compensates for structural inequities while reinforcing performance-driven demands, ultimately marginalizing students who do not meet standardized expectations

Cultural activities · Cultural values · Multiculturalism · Social impact · Education Discipline and Inequality · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Inclusive Education and Diversity

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Open DOIOpen Access