Speaker Series

Dr. Hyeyoung Kwon’s Language Brokers explores the lives of working-class children of Korean American and Mexican American immigrants, who act as translators and interpreters for their families in navigating public services such as healthcare, education, housing, and other institutions. These young people, often in their teens, mediate critical encounters that determine whether their families can access services and exercise even the most basic aspects of American citizenship. Far from being passive dependents, they take on adult responsibilities and develop complex strategies to navigate inequality and belonging in the United States.



In her talk Dr. Kwon situates language brokering within the broader context of citizenship. She shows that it is a contested social practice shaped by power, race, and class. Parents are often criticized for not speaking English, a form of assimilationist gatekeeping that obscures structural barriers and reinforces exclusion. For immigrant families, belonging and inclusion depend as much on social citizenship, the ability to be treated as full participants in society based on de facto social norms, as on formal rights. By examining the practices of language brokers, Dr. Kwon reveals how citizenship is lived, negotiated, and resisted on an everyday basis.



Yet while these strategies of inclusion can open doors, Dr. Kwon underscores the limits of resistance. Language brokering cannot erase systemic inequalities tied to race, class, and citizenship. Instead, it often highlights how deeply institutions rely on exclusionary practices. Dr. Kwon argues that the burden should not fall on children to secure access to citizenship rights for their families. The failures lie with institutions and the state, which have built systems that force children of Korean and Mexican American immigrants into the role of intermediaries. This talk offered a critical rethinking of citizenship, children’s agency, and the contested nature of belonging in the United States.