Language Education and Globalization (original) (raw)
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Language, Education and Transnationalism: An Introduction
Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada, 2019
This special issue of Papers in Applied Linguistics brings together eight articles and an interview that provide a wide range of perspectives on the topic of transnationalism. Much research in applied linguistics highlights the growing importance of globalisation and transnational mobility, but often takes these processes and their effects to be self-evident and self-explanatory (BRIGGS; MCCORMICK & WAY, 2008). As such, this special issue addresses the ways in which transnational movements of populations, linguistic practices, ideology, knowledge and capital shape educational policies and practices related to language. It is concerned with migration, internationalisation of educational provision, student mobility, and global communications. The present text and the majority of the articles that follow are in English, yet each author is inevitably engaged in transidiomatic practices (JACQUEMET, 2005) through work that engages with variations, and mixes of, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Haitian Creole, amongst other linguistic forms. The authors also share a commitment to critical scholarship that promotes democratic schooling and society, questioning the commodification of education and reproduction of oppressive social relations by highlighting issues of power and ideology, including those involved in the geopolitics of north-south relations. Below, we provide some context on the two interrelated types of circulation that will be addressed in the subsequent papers: that of heterogeneous linguistic formations and that of culturally diverse populations. As guest editors, we write from, and into, contrasting locations within these global movements. Brazil is a country with small contemporary migratory movements, but a long and brutal
In the face of neoliberal adversity: Engaging language education policy and practices
Recent engaged approaches to language policy and practices (Davis 2014) suggest the urgent need for "on the ground" analyses of how global forces, such as neoliberalism, can and do impact local human welfare. An engaged approach further argues for moving away from simply reporting findings towards portraying dialogic processes that are always in a state of evolving and shifting meanings through growing awareness of changing local, national, and global conditions. We more specifically describe here engaged language education policy making that draws teachers, students, parents, and communities into dialogic exploration of ineffective and marginalizing language policies and practices. This approach promotes counterpublic discourses that challenge dominant neoliberal ideologies while supporting practices that meet local language, education, economic, and human welfare needs. Engaged processes effectively suggest local determination of schooling that recognizes language/identity fluidity and multiplicity while upholding the agency of all participants. eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide.
Transnational Identities and Language Teaching in the Globalized World
Language, individual & society, 2015
Reflecting the new geopolitical situation of the globalized world, a new type of identity has emerged in recent years among many first and second generation heritage language speakers. Rather than detaching themselves from the country of origin, these speakers take on a “transnational” identity, bridging the host and home countries with strong interpersonal, societal and economic ties. These transnational links are supported by technological advances that enhance opportunities for the maintenance of heritage languages. In addition, scholarly interest in heritage languages has increased substantially over the past twenty years, enhancing the academic community’s understanding of heritage language speakers’ backgrounds and needs. This paper addresses support ethnic and transnational identity in the realm of foreign language (L2) instruction at the university level, applying research on heritage speaker identities and recent developments in foreign language methodology.
2015
Recent engaged approaches to language policy and practices (Davis 2014) suggest the urgent need for "on the ground" analyses of how global forces, such as neoliberalism, can and do impact local human welfare. An engaged approach further argues for moving away from simply reporting findings towards portraying dialogic processes that are always in a state of evolving and shifting meanings through growing awareness of changing local, national, and global conditions. We more specifically describe here engaged language education policy making that draws teachers, students, parents, and communities into dialogic exploration of ineffective and marginalizing language policies and practices. This approach promotes counterpublic discourses that challenge dominant neoliberal ideologies while supporting practices that meet local language, education, economic, and human welfare needs. Engaged processes effectively suggest local determination of schooling that recognizes language/identi...
In his influential book, Imagined Communities (1982), Benedict Anderson proposes that language is more than a marker of identity and has much more than a semiotic sense. Language, Anderson says, has a rhetorical meaning, and thus is capable of generating imagined communities and of constructing particular identities. This volume, imagined and produced by graduate students in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, draws from the work of students across the college--bilingual education, international educational development, comparative education, curriculum and teaching, teaching of English, teaching English to speakers of other languages, applied linguistics, reading and language arts, speech and language pathology--and the larger university. In so doing, it reflects the multiple perspectives in which the study of languages in society is negotiated across Columbia University, particularly at Teachers College. The volume thus reveals the academic breadth and diversity of a scholarly community interested in the role of languages in communities and in education, across academic departments and disciplines. It is our hope this collection of papers will contribute towards creating a central place for the study of multiple languages and literacies in communities and schools, highlighting the important role that non-dominant languages and discourses play in the lives of many.