The Dynamics of Language and Inequality in Education

The dividing practices of coloniality continue to affect our language ideologies, linguistic pedagogies, and the relative status of languages. Bound up with issues of access, power and identity, language is a complex terrain that learners and teachers in the political South navigate constantly. This volume provides insight into this complexity while presenting possibilities for thinking otherwise that embrace multiplicity, maintain diversity and hint at the transgressive. * Hilary Janks, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa *
Boundaries real and metaphoric unify this unique collection on the dynamics of language and inequality in settings less often voiced in mainstream publications. As these inspiring chapters show, boundaries can be imposed and/or concealed but also transgressed by informed and courageous language educators. * Brian Morgan, Glendon College, York University, Canada *
Kipling’s famous assertion “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” has morphed under the influence of today’s geopolitical climate into an all-out clash between the North and the South, but the fundamental premises of the divide remain intact. It is fuelled by the fear of the Other. Or rather, the need to reassure one of the integrity of one’s own group by othering those that don’t fit in. This collection of insightful papers delves into the genealogy of the tense standoff, its multifarious manifestations, and its abiding—almost visceral—persistence in the scheme of things. While pointing out the North’s constant need to justify itself by hammering home its opposition to this Other, it also underscores how the South also plays a constitutive role in the very identity of the North. Finally, some of the contributors also look at how transgressive moves emanating from the South can muddy the waters and thereby thwart the North’s ingeniously laid out plans to maintain the status quo. * Kanavilil Rajagopolan, University of Campinas, Brazil *

This book abounds in in-depth and original reflections and ideas centered on the relationship between language and educational inequalities [...] it is a valuable and down-to-earth introduction for both novices and experts who want to explore sociolinguistic and sociocultural perspectives of language inequalities through education.

-- Ying Wang and Fan Fang, Shantou University, China * System 107 (2022) *

Through a strong theoretical and applied lens, the diverse array of experiences that this book draws upon makes it a valuable resource for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in education, language teaching, and applied linguistics. 

-- Juan José Bueno Holle, Independent Researcher * LINGUIST List 32.898 *