Language as a proxy for inclusion and exclusion

Session conveners: Linda Bäckman linda.backman@migrationinstitute.fi,
Sari Pöyhönen sari.h.poyhonen@jyu.fi &
Hilde Hjertager hilde.b.lund@uib.no

Session description

Language has long played a central part in drawing borders: European nation-states were built around the idea of ‘one language, one nation’, centring the dominance of standard languages in opposition to other varieties. Language is likewise given a crucial position in recent policies of immigration and integration through for example the emphasis on language as ‘key to society’ in integration training, language requirements for many positions in the labour market, as well as access and belonging to the state through citizenship. In the case of Finland, the government has recently introduced language requirements also for permanent residency, and language skills of internationally recruited nurses have been widely debated in politics and the media. 

Language thus acts as a gatekeeper for in/exclusion in society, and speaking an official, national language is portrayed as a sign of loyalty towards the state and a proof of ‘integration’ and trustworthiness. In this, language practices become a site in which assumptions about belonging, competence and cultural alignment are imposed. This is also relevant in institutional encounters, where assessment, documentation and language requirements may shape access, participation and belonging. 

Research in language studies has, however, for several decades shown how language ideologies are always about more than language. In many state policies, language is used as a proxy for race, ethnicity, religion or other categories that cannot legally act as basis for differentiation. In this, certain populations and speakers are surveilled and marked more than others, maintaining colonial power asymmetries. ‘Language barriers’ thereby also reflect embedded power hierarchies and structures to in/exclude. 

Monolingual language ideologies are deeply embedded in conceptions of identity and belonging, as well as in how the host society interprets its existing linguistic diversity in relation to the linguistic integration of newcomers. At the same time, research shows that an individual’s language use reflects their linguistic citizenship: their agency, participation, and opportunities to exercise control over their linguistic resources and to construct new identities and communities.

This panel aims to bring together scholars working at the intersection of language and migration studies to explore different ways in which language acts as a means for social inclusion/exclusion, through topics concerning for example:

• Language learning and teaching
• Language requirements and testing
• Language in institutional encounters
• Language ideologies
• Linguistic citizenship and activism

The language of the session is English, and we invite presentations from a range of contexts and angles.