A stranger in the room? Race, space, and legitimacy in the language classroom

This article explores how race, space, and language intersect in Icelandic education through the experiences of a Black immigrant who teaches Icelandic in Iceland. Drawing on a semi-structured interview and grounded in critical race theory, raciolinguistics, and spatial theory, the article examines how classrooms in Iceland function as racialized spaces where Whiteness remains the unspoken norm. Findings reveal how Zack’s authority as a teacher is routinely questioned, how his linguistic fluency is overlooked, and how he engages in emotional and professional labor to assert legitimacy. These experiences are read through the lens of raciolinguistic ideologies, White spatiality, and the affective politics of recognition. The findings challenge Icelandic discourses of neutrality and homogeneity, showing that race is neither invisible nor irrelevant. The article contributes to calls for better engagement with race/racism in teacher education, and for recognizing the institutional and spatial dimensions of racial exclusion in language classrooms, particularly in Iceland.