Political economy in applied linguistics research (original) (raw)
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Political economy in applied linguistics research (2017)
This state-of-the-art review is based on the fundamental idea that political economy should be adopted as a frame for research and discussion in applied linguistics as part of a general social turn which has taken hold in the field over the past three decades. It starts with Susan Gal's (1989) early call for such a move in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, that is, for 'investigations of the links among language structure, language use, and political economy' (Gal 1989: 346), and moves from a consideration of theoretical bases to the discussion and critique of concrete examples of research. Thus, after a fairly detailed discussion of political economy and the key constructs neoliberalism and social class, the paper moves to a review of research in three broad areas. First, it focuses on how issues and constructs from political economy have been incorporated into discussions of education, work and leisure by a growing number of sociolinguists. This is followed by a review of research which has focused specifically on social class as a central organising construct and then a third section on political economy in language teaching and learning research. The review ends with a consideration of the future of political economy in applied linguistics research.
2016
This special section constitutes an effort to span the divide between linguistic anthropological approaches to political economy and sociocultural anthropological approaches to contemporary capitalism. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the publication of several key works in anthropology forged a critical approach to language in social action that was attentive to questions of power, inequality, difference, and domination. More than twenty-five years have passed since this articulation of language and political economy as a framework for scholarly investigation and critique. In this time period, research in linguistic anthropology has continued to elaborate how language use and language ideologies (re)produce forms of social difference and inequality within and across interactions. At the same time, critical work in sociocultural anthropology on political economy has become focused on neoliberalism—an ongoing redistribution of social risk, entitlement and responsibility—as a global condition. Research in this vein, however, has on the whole remained relatively unconcerned with language. Inspired by the twenty-fifth anniversary of Susan Gal’s classic essay “Language and political economy,” the essays collected here take seriously the challenge raised in studies of neoliberalism, namely, that political economies, in the empirical and analytic sense, have shifted post-1989. In doing so, they chart new pathways for a cross-fertilization between research in linguistic anthropology and scholarship on neoliberalism and contemporary political economy. Specifically, the papers: (1) identify impasses in the Foucault-inspired analyses of power as governmentality, (2) elaborate how emergent political economic forms compel a retheorization of “institutions” as a category of social analysis, (3) complicate understandings of the place of language in commodification processes, and (4) engage and theorize the specialized forms of reflexivity that often accompany neoliberalizing logics. Keywords: language, political economy, capitalism, governmentality, institutions, commodification, reflexivity
Politics and Change in Research in Applied Linguistics 1995.
Applied Linguistics 16/2, 1995
This paper begins by noting the way in which social processes, sociology, anthropology, and media studies recently seem to have replaced pedagogy, linguistics, and psychology as the major preoccupations in British applied linguistics (A L) To try to make sense of this shift, it first borrows Street's (1984) notions of 'autonomous' and 'ideological' models of literacy and extends them to other branches of applied linguistics It then tries to situate this move from 'autonomous' to 'ideological' applied linguistics within two fairly recent political processes (a) the switch of focus from overseas to UK language education occurring in the late 1980s, (b) the more general redefinition and critique of liberalism With the grounds for an ideological (soao-cultural/ ecological)
Political Economy of Language: Linguistic Perspectives on Economic Policy
International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 2023
In this review, we explored the intricate interplay between language and economic policy, shedding light on the often overlooked yet profound ways in which linguistic factors shape and are shaped by the economic landscape. This review delves into the nexus of political economy and language, examining how language serves as a tool of power, negotiation, and persuasion in the formulation and execution of economic policies. Drawing from linguistic perspectives, we dissect the role of discourse in shaping public perception of economic policies. We investigate the linguistic strategies employed by policymakers to communicate complex economic concepts, exploring how language can be a mechanism of inclusion or exclusion within economic decision-making processes. Additionally,
The Impact of Neoliberal Policies on Political Language in Britain: 1997-2017
2019
for introducing me to the word corpus and taking so much time to answer my many questions. Emma Bell for her inspiring lectures on neoliberalism which led me to choosing the Master in LLCER and her advice long after I stopped being her student. Anis Bouzidi for printing and delivering this dissertation. My family, Ma, Da and sister Shona for all the love, motivation and encouragement every step of the way. To Yannick's family for supporting me and to my dearest Dr. Yaya, let's grow old together.