1st Edition
Language, Ethnic Identity and the State
This new study powerfully asserts the pivotal importance of the interplay between language and ethnicity, which is often underestimated as a component for political stability.
These leading scholars present five key case studies of South Africa, Algeria, Canada, Latvia and Senegal. All five countries are multilingual nations where language has been a central political issue that has challenged their unity and stability.
These studies are underpinned by two general, comparative and theoretical discussions, which analyse how scholars consider social class and economic factors to be the primary sources for political cohesion or of malcontent with the system and the new avenues opened by a focus on issues of langauge.
This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of linguistics, language, politics and sociology.
This is a special issue of the leading journal Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.
Introduction: the Political aspects of Language, William Safran
Minority Languages and Globalization, J.A. Laponce
The Rise and Possible Demise of Afrikaans as Public Language, Hermann Giliomee
Language and Politics in Algeria, Mohamed Benrabah
The Limits of Bilingualism in Canada, Linda Cardinal
Ethnic Politics and the Soviet Legacy in Latvian Post-communist Education: The Place of Language, Fredrika Bjornlund
Senegalese "into Frenchmen" ? the French Technology of Nationalism in Senegal, Nancy Kwang Johnson
Biography
William Safran is Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado and Editor-in-chief of the journal Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.
Jean A. Laponce is professor of political science at the University of British Columbia and director of the Institute of Interethnic Relations in Ottawa.