Language as Symbolic Power

'In this remarkable, wide-ranging, yet readable book, Claire Kramsch asks what it takes for language learners and users not just to be understood, but to be valued, taken seriously, treated with respect. This is a question - all too often silenced in language education and applied linguistics - of symbolic power, of being listened to rather than just heard. It is an inquiry of great significance.' Alastair Pennycook, Distinguished Professor of Language, Society and Education, University of Technology Sydney
'This book is a tour de force, the fruit of Kramsch's brilliant command of ideas and arguments from many fields and many language and cultures. It is powerfully and clearly argued – and a pleasure to read. The provocation to re-think so many issues in applied linguistics and language teaching continues long after the reader has put this exhilarating book down.' Tim McNamara, Professor Emeritus in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics (Honorary), University of Melbourne
'… [This book] invites us to focus on the symbolic effects of discourse and in so doing increases our understanding of how we shape the world and how the world shapes us in online, offline, and liminal spaces. It invites us to wonder, talk, and teach about how the symbolic power of language might help us better understand and resist a world fraught with deeply entrenched inequalities, racism, political populism, and climate injustices.' Ari Sherris, Sociolinguistic Studies journal