PhD Jost: Spanish in the Sahrawi Refugee Camps: An Exploration of Its Uses, Ideologies, and Attitudes from an Educational Perspective

This PhD project focuses on language practices, ideologies and attitudes towards Spanish in the Sahrawi refugee camps in the Algerian desert. It examines how the position of Spanish is constructed and negotiated within the Sahrawi linguistic repertoire, in relation to Hassaniya, Standard Arabic, French, and English. To this end, the study considers the postcolonial, social, and political dimensions that shape how Spanish is perceived and valued, including its status as a co-official language of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and its role in international cooperation. Particular attention is given to the educational sphere as a key space for the transmission and negotiation of linguistic ideologies and attitudes towards Spanish. The methodology combines semi-structured interviews, focus groups, language portraits, participant observation, and the analysis of educational materials, involving students, teachers, families, and educational authorities. Taken as a whole, this project contributes to a deeper understanding of the Sahrawi sociolinguistic context, while also advancing research on Spanish in Africa and a more pluricentric understanding of the Spanish language. At the same time, the findings provide an empirical basis for further research and reflection on the linguistic, educational, and political dimensions of the Sahrawi context.